After upsets in California and Texas in the final weeks of state playoffs in those states, all the waiting for official crowning is now over for the West Orange softball team of Winter Garden, Fla. The Warriors of head coach Todd LaNeave are the FAB 50 national champions for the 2016 season.

Based on final rankings of the FAB 50, which go back to 1997, West Orange becomes the fourth team from Florida to finish in the No. 1 position. The first was Naples (34-0) in 1998, followed by Bartow (32-0-1) in 2003 and Dunnellon (31-1) in 2010.

There were no changes in the top 10 in this week’s final rankings since all of those teams had finished their seasons at least two weekends ago.

In the final two weekends of state championships from cold-weather states that get their seasons going later, the teams to make the biggest splashes were Mercy of Farmington Hills, Mich., and Scott County of Georgetown, Ky.

Mercy took on previous FAB 50 No. 28 Dakota in the Michigan Division I state final last weekend and won 4-0. The Marlins, who were led by Michigan Miss Softball Abby Krzywiecki with 20 home runs, moved up to No. 30 in this week’s final rankings.

Scott County won the Kentucky state championship (that state doesn’t have divisions) with a 9-7 victory over previous FAB 50 No. 21 McCracken County. That result reversed three previous losses that Scott County had against McCracken County, but those were the only three losses that the Cardinals had all season. For the final FAB 50, we inserted Scott County at No. 32 with the Mustangs right behind at No. 33.

A list of FAB 50 national champions since 1997 and the final rankings are provided below:

FAB 50 NATIONAL SOFTBALL CHAMPIONS

2016 – West Orange (Winter Garden, Fla.) 31-1
2015 – Yucaipa (Yucaipa, Calif.) 31-3
2014 – Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, Calif.) 26-1
2013 – Red Mountain (Mesa, Ariz.) 33-5
2012 – Norco (Norco, Calif.) 31-2
2011 – The Woodlands (Conroe, Texas) 38-1
2010 – Dunnellon (Dunnellon, Fla.) 31-1
2009 – Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) 32-0
2008 – Broad Run (Ashburn, Va.) 28-0
2007 – Valencia (Valencia, Calif.) 32-1
2006 – Freedom (Oakley, Calif.) 26-0
2005 – University (Palm Harbor, Fla.) 31-0
2004 – Elkins (Fort Bend, Texas) 39-0
2003 – Bartow (Bartow, Fla.) 32-0-1
2002 – Elkins (Fort Bend, Texas) 35-2
2001 – Bullard (Fresno, Calif.) 36-1
2000 – Foothill (Tustin, Calif.) 32-2
1999 – Bullard (Fresno, Calif.) 38-1-1
1998 – Naples (Naples, Fla.) 34-0
1997 – Pacifica (Garden Grove, Calif.) 31-1-1


(After all reported games in 2016 season)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

1.  (1) West Orange (Winter Garden, Fla.) 31-1

Georgia-bound junior pitcher Lauren Mathis was named Miss Softball in Florida with a 25-1 record, 0.15 ERA and 272 strikeouts in 138 innings.

2.  (2) Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, Calif.) 27-4

The Diablos only lose three players off their roster and will be back among the nation’s best next season.

3.  (3) Eagle (Eagle, Idaho) 29-0

Cal-bound junior pitcher Bradie Fillmore will be back next season along with most of the other top players. Maybe we’ll see Eagle play out-of-state in a top tourney next year?

4.  (4) La Grange (La Grange, Texas) 40-2

Missy Zoch (32-2, 0.53, 325 Ks) and Blake-Ann Fristch (.532, 75 hits) were both fabulous for this team, which won Class 4A state title.

5.  (5) Curry (Jasper, Ala.) 47-2

Auburn recruit Ashlee Swindle led this team to second straight state title with 45-2 pitching record (385 Ks) plus a whopping 86 RBI as a batter.

6.  (6) West Forsythe (Clemmons, N.C.) 30-2

Cape Fear and North Davidson were both ranked higher during the season, but in the end it was the Titans who reigned as the best in the Tarheel State.

7.  (7) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) 26-2

The Patriots won the Class 6A state title and were the only team to pin a loss on the resume of West Orange.

8.  (8) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 27-7

The Monarchs won the CIF Southern Section Division I title by knocking off Orange Lutheran 8-2 when Orange Lutheran came into the game with a chance to finish No. 1 in the state and in the FAB 50.

9.  (9) Grand Terrace (Grand Terrace, Calif.) 28-1

Oklahoma-bound Melanie Olmos of the Titans won the CIFSS Division III crown has been named Inland Empire area Player of the Year by the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

10.  (10) Lakewood (Hebron, Ohio) 29-0

Junior pitcher Courtney Vierstra led the Lancers to the Division II state title and a perfect season.

11.  (11) Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) 30-4

Stanford-bound Maddy Dwyer will be back next season for the Lancers, who ended up going 2-2 in games against Mater Dei.

12.  (12) Gainesville (Gainesville, Fla.) 30-2

Florida recruit Katie Chronister led the Class 7A state champs. She was the Gatorade State POY who went 28-2 in the circle and batted .457 with 29 RBI.

13.  (17) Oak Park-River Forest (Oak Park, Ill.) 37-2

Veteran coach Mel Kolbusz guided this squad to the Class 4A state title after it was third last season.

14.  (14) Ironwood Ridge (Tucson, Ariz.) 33-4

The Nighthawks captured the Division II state title and had a better overall season than Division I champion Hamilton of Chandler.

15.  (15) Keller (Keller, Texas) 32-7

Kaylee Rogers pitched a four-hitter when Keller blanked Pearland 4-0 in the Class 6A state final.

16.  (16) Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos, Calif.) 26-3

Winning the Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Arizona ended up being the highlight of the year for the Griffins, who lost to Orange Lutheran in the CIFSS Division I semifinals.

17.  (18) Cape Fear (Fayetteville, N.C.) 29-3

This team lost to West Forsythe in the Class 4-A state finals and almost forced a third game before losing in extra innings.

18.  (19) Pearland (Pearland, Texas) 32-7-1

Before they lost to Keller in the Class 4A state final, the Oilers defeated Atascocita in the semifinals.

19.  (23) Deer Park (Deer Park, Texas) 34-4

The Deer (yes that is their nickname) were No. 1 in the FAB 50 when they lost to Pearland in the Class 4A state playoffs.

20.  (20) Etiwanda (Etiwanda, Calif.) 29-3

Vanessa Taukeiaho (20 homers) and Megan Stevens (19 homers) both were outstanding for the Eagles all season long.

21.  (22) Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 37-4

The Raiders won their second straight state title with a 9-1 win over Girls Preparatory School of Chattanooga. Crosby Huckabay went 3-for-5 with two RBI. Florida-bound Cheyenne Lindsey will be back next season.

22.  (24) Valley View (Moreno Valley, Calif.) 25-2

The Eagles took out La Habra in the CIFSS Division II semifinals and then lost to FAB 50 No. 2 Mission Viejo in the final.

23.  (27) La Habra (La Habra, Calif.) 29-2

Head coach Steve Harrington’s girls were as high as No. 3 in the FAB 50 after they beat Mater Dei in a tourney and had only a loss to Orange Lutheran on their resume.

24.  (25) Sherwood (Sandy Springs, Md.) 23-0

After a 7-2 win over Chopticon (Morganza, Md.), the Warriors will take a 103-game win streak into next season. They’ve also now won five state titles in a row.

25.  (26) North Davidson (Lexington, N.C.) 26-4

The Knights won twice early in the season over eventual Class 4-A state champ West Forsythe.

26.  (29) Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) 30-2

Sisters Jordan Fines (senior going to Cal) and Maci Fines (sophomore) have been named Co-Players of the Year by the Sacramento Bee.

27.  (30) Bartow (Bartow, Fla.) 23-5

The Yellowjackets won the Class 8A state title with a 5-2 win in 11 innings over Countryside.

28.  (32) Plano West (Plano, Texas) 29-5

Since the Wolves went 1-2 in their series with eventual Class 6A state champ Keller, they get a bump in the final rankings.

29.  (37) Immaculate Heart (Washington Township, N.J.) 31-1

A great season was capped by a 2-1 win over Donovan Catholic for a state title. IHA won it in memory of former coach Atnhony La Rezza, who died after last season.

30.  (NR) Mercy (Farmington Hills, Mich.) 43-2

In addition to her 20 homers this season, Abby Krzywiecki also had 48 homers for her career.

31.  (31) Montini (Lombard, Ill.) 37-3

The Broncos knocked off 37-1 Washington 4-1 to win the Illinois Class 3A state crown.

32.  (NR) Scott County (Georgetown, Ky.) 36-3

Since McCracken County was up to No. 21, beating the Mustangs in the state final resulted in a nice bump for the Cardinals in the final rankings.

33.  (21) McCracken County (Paducah, Ky.) 43-4

If we didn’t have the hardware rule (team that raises trophy at the end is always ranked higher), the Mustangs clearly could be higher than Scott County since they beat the Cardinals three times earlier in the season.

34.  (34) Lake Region (Eagle Lake, Fla.) 25-3

This is the team that beat Viera and then South Fork in the Class 7A state playoffs before losing to Gainesville in the final.

35.  (35) Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 30-7

Baylor-bound Shelby McGlown had another dominating season for this team.

36.  (36) Norco (Norco, Calif.) 26-6

Watch out for the Cougars next season. The entire roster will be returning.

37.  (28) Dakota (Macomb, Mich.) 38-3

Losing in the Division I state final to Mercy didn’t cause the Cougars to completely drop from the final rankings.

38.  (39) Belton (Belton, Texas) 31-4

The Tigers had risen into the top 20 of the FAB 50 until they lost to Atascocita in the Class 6A state playoffs.

39.  (40) Countryside (Clearwater, Fla.) 24-5

This team had to go up in the rankings after beating St. Thomas Aquinas in the Class 8A state playoffs. The Cougars then lost to Bartow in extra innings.

40.  (41) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 22-5

The Raiders lost in the state playoffs to Countryside, but gained their ranking mainly for having a win over American Heritage in the regular season.

41.  (42) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) 30-2-1

One of the top players for the Lions was freshman Maya Brady, niece of NFL QB Tom Brady.

42.  (43) Fitch (Groton, Conn.) 27-0

Caroline Taber tossed a four-hitter when Fitch capped off its perfect season with a 4-0 win vs. Masuk in the Class L state final.

43.  (44) Olathe South (Olathe, Kan.) 23-2

A 10-3 win over Washburn Rural gave the Falcons the Class 6A state championship.

44.  (45) Walsh Jesuit (Cayahoga Falls, Ohio) 24-5

The Warriors won the Division I state title in Ohio over a field that included Mason and Lakota East, two teams that were in the FAB 50 at various points in the season.

45.  (13) Downer’s Grove South (Downer’s Grove, Ill.) 35-4

We decided to leave DGS in the final rankings despite loss to Normal in Class 4A semifinal. Normal finished with 10 losses and DGS had a more consistent regular season.

46.  (48) Atlee (Mechanicsburg, Va.) 23-2

The Raiders won their second straight state title with a 5-0 blanking of Hickory in the Division 5A state final.

47.  (46) Campbell (Ewa Beach, Hawaii) 16-1

The Sabres won the Division I state title 12-2 over Kapolei, which was the only team they lost to during the season.

48.  (50) Snohomish (Snohomish, Wash.) 23-3

An 8-6 victory over Woodinville gave the Panthers the Class 4A state championship.

49.  (NR) Alexandria (Alexandria, La.) 30-4

Basically replacing Penn of Mishawaka, Ind., this team was outstanding all season in Louisiana. The Trojans won the Class 5A title and were led by Briahna Bennett (13 homers) and Carrie Boswell (18-2, 1.49, .443, nine homers).

50.  (49) Dickson County (Dickson, Tenn.) 42-7-1

The Cougars bounced back from two early losses to Henry County to win the Class AAA state title with a 6-3 win against Siegel (Murfreesboro).

Dropped Out:
Previous No. 33 Penn (Mishawaka, Ind.); No. 38 North Hopkins (Madisonville, Ky.); No. 47 Swan Valley (Saginaw, Mich.).

Teams On The Bubble:
Alhambra (Martinez, Calif.) 24-2
Avon (Avon, Ind.) 26-5
Bald Knob (Bald Knob, Ark.) 36-0
Birdville (North Richland Hills, Texas) 30-10
Canyon del Oro (Tucson, Ariz.) 29-3-1
Cedar Ridge (Round Rock, Texas) 25-6
Cheshire (Cheshire, Conn.) 27-0
Conley (Greenville, N.C.) 27-5
Coral Springs Charter (Coral Springs, Fla.) 26-3
Crown Point (Crown Point, Ind.) 28-2
DeKalb (DeKalb, Ill.) 26-7
Freedom (Oakley, Calif.) 19-3
Hamilton (Glendale, Ariz.) 31-7
Hempfield Area (Greensburg, Pa.) 26-2
King’s Academy (Seymour, Tenn.) 39-6
Kingwood (Kingwood, Texas) 35-8
La Center (La Center, Wash.) 29-0
Lakota East (Liberty Township, Ohio) 27-2
Mason (Mason, Ohio) 26-3
Normal Community (Normal, Ill.) 29-10
North Hopkins (Madisonville, Ky.) 36-5
Olathe Northwest (Olathe, Kan.) 22-3
Osbourn Park (Manassas, Va.) 25-3
Penn (Mishawaka, Ind.) 27-4
Pinnacle (Phoenix, Ariz.) 31-7
Puyallup (Puyallup, Wash.) 25-1
Robinson (Robinson, Texas) 34-2-1
San Marcos (San Marcos, Calif.) 22-4-1
Siegel (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 48-8
South Fork (Stuart, Fla.) 22-4
Springville (Springville, Ala.) 36-10
Viera (Viera, Fla.) 26-2
Western (Davie, Fla.) 23-6

Rankings By Mark Tennis, Editor, CalHiSports.com