Not only is the Women’s College World Series going full speed this weekend, high school softball is also seeing some crucial games being played.

Here’s a look at some of the key action among the top 10 teams in the FAB 50 with the National Champion possibly being known by the end of Friday night.  However, if this one team falls then look out… it could be open for a number of programs across the country!

 

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The No. 1 team in the country, Mission Viejo (Calif.), will face off in the CIF Southern Section Div. II final Friday night at 7:15 pm PST in Bill Barker Park (Irvine, Calif.) and if the Diablos pull it out, then it’s all but a done deal that they’ll be crowned the National Champions in the FAB 50.

But it won’t be a cakewalk—standing in the way will be Chino (Calif.) which is currently ranked No. 32 in the nation and is the two-time defending champ in the division.

The Cowgirls have are battle tested and one of the top pitchers in the West in Miranda Viramontes (Utah commit), who led Chino to a big win Tuesday in the semis against rival Chino Hills, ranked No. 33 in this week’s ratings.

Mission Viejo, of course, is led by two National Player of the Year candidates in pitcher Taylor McQuillin and outfielder Alyssa Palomino, both of whom are committed to Arizona.

Think Wildcat fans will be interested in this one?  They’re also teammates on one of the top club teams in the country, the legendary OC Batbusters…

 

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Saturday at 2 pm PST, the No. 2 team in the nation will take the field as Amador Valley of Pleasanton, Calif. will meet league rival Granada for the CIF North Coast Section Division I title.

Granada upset No. 36 ranked James Logan, the two-time defending champion,10-0 on Tuesday and already has lost twice to Amador Valley this season.

Amador is led by phenomenal senior pitcher Johanna Grauer (UCLA signee) who is undefeated this season and could be the favorite for National Player of the Year by many media sources.

The Dons are No. 1 in at least one national poll, but to be No. 1 in the FAB 50 national rankings will probably require a Mission Viejo loss.

 

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The No. 3 team in the land is Alexander Central of Taylorsville, N.C. which is 33-0, but won’t vye for its state title until next Friday and Saturday.

It was a big week for Monte Sherrill’s team as it twice beat the No. 12 team in the FAB 50, North Davidson, 12-3 and 4-2.

The hottest position player in the country may be infielder Vada Sherrill (yep, the coach’s daughter) who has 60 hits (again, in 33 games) with 59 runs scored, 40 RBI and 48 steals.

Give her perhaps two more gains and it’s conceivable she could have 60 hits, 60 runs and 50 steals by the time the season wraps up.

If AC does take the crown, it will be back-to-back 4A titles and its ninth state softball championship.

 

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The No. 4 team in this week’s rankings, St. Thomas Aquinas of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., won the Florida 7A title a week ago and is the highest ranked team that’s “in the clubhouse.”

When we compile a 2014 All-American team, two players from the Raiders will make the list: pitcher Meghan King (Maryland signee) and catcher Gwen Svekis (Oregon bound).

 

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Friday night is also big in the Lone Star State as the No. 5 team in the land, The Woodlands out of Conroe, Texas, will battle Southwest of San Antonio in the 5A semis at the Univ. of Texas in Austin.

If the Highlanders win, they’ll face either Coronado out of Lubbock or Deer Park on Saturday at 4 pm CST for all the marbles.

One thing that’s compelling about this game is both teams are statistically almost identical: each averages 8.0 runs per game and Southwest averages 10.7 hits per game to 10.5 for The Woodlands.

Junior infielder Aubrey Leach (Tennessee commit) is the table-setter and leads the team with a .594 average, 82 hits and 49 steals.

In the circle, Baylor-bound junior pitcher Abby Langkamp has been perfect, going 25-0 with a 1.43 ERA and 180 Ks in 151 innings.

 

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At No. 6, another Northern Calif. team will try to win a championship on Saturday.

Since Archbishop Mitty lost to Valley Christian in April, it has come back with a vengeance, beating its West Catholic Athletic League rival three times including Tuesday’s latest win to put the Monarchs in the Central Coast Section Div. II title match.

Mitty is led by shortstop Jazmyn Jackson (Cal) who has blazing speed and used it to get an inside-the-park home run on Tuesday.

The Monarchs will face Pioneer High Saturday at 12:30 pm PST.

 

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In the cold weather states like Ohio, the championship is still a ways off, but an awesome playoff showdown is lining up if the favored teams win.

No. 7 in the FAB 50 is Lebanon (Ohio) High won on Wednesday 4-1 over Northmont to make it to the Regional Final for the third year in a row.  The Warriors will face Mason on noon EST Saturday with the winner making it to the Ohio Final Four.

Tara Trainer (Indiana), another strong All-American candidate at pitcher, gave up her first post-season run in the win and had 12 Ks after recording 20 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout last Friday in a Div. I district final.

The game of the year in Ohio, though, could come in the semi-finals as the Warriors could face No. 23 ranked Hoover High of North Canton which it beat already this year, but lost to last year in the playoffs.

The Jenna Lilly-led Vikings know how to play big in clutch games, having won the last three state championships and seven since 1998.

 

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The No. 8 team takes us back to Texas as Barbers Hill of Mt. Belvieu will try to cap off a perfect season with two more wins which would make it 34-0.

To do that, though, they first have to beat Ennis in a 9 am CST 4A semifinal.

Leading the way for the Eagles will be senior pitcher Randi Rupp (Texas State), who is 27-0.

 

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Ahem, hate to be an “I told you so” but I DID write an article about No. 9 Pacifica two weeks ago titled “Can Pacifica Make a Run?”

The clear answer is, yes, they can and have.

The Mariners will try to take the Southern Section Div. I title Saturday night at 6:30 pm against M.L. King also at Bill Barber Park in Irvine, Calif. (the same location as the Div. II game Friday night with No. 1 Mission Viejo vs. No. 32 Chino Hills.

It will be an interesting pitcher’s match-up for sure as North Carolina signee Kaylee Carlson is pitching with confidence and seemingly getting stronger each game (she had a two-hitter with eight Ks in the semifinal win over Canyon on Tuesday).

She’ll go up against Alexis Osorio, a senior hurler who has signed with Alabama. and herself was dominant in the semis as she gave up only one hit while striking out 14 in a 1-0 win over Cypress.

 

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Finally, we round out the Top 10 this week with a second team that is done for the year, Sparkman from Harvest, Ala.

The Lady Senators won its third 6A state title and played the most games of anyone in the FAB 50, going 63-4-1 this spring.

Sparkman ended its season almost two weeks ago in an exciting 6-5 win over Hillcrest.