After several weeks of stormy conditions – even among the first five teams – navigating this week’s Student Sports FAB 50 national softball rankings was smooth sailing.

It wasn’t until reaching the No. 17 team from last week until there was a loss (which was Brazoswood of Texas dropping a somewhat insignificant game to district rival Clear Falls) and the next team to lose after that was previous No. 21 Clovis of California.

In addition to Clovis, another unbeaten team in California to lose for the first time last week was El Camino Real of Woodland Hills (which was No. 50 in the previous rankings). Since Vacaville did not lose and improved to 18-0-1, the Bulldogs moved up from No. 32 to No. 21 in this week’s rankings.

This week’s highest-rising newcomer is 18-0 Mauldin of South Carolina. Hillcrest of South Carolina has been in the FAB 50 before, but has lost three times to the Mavericks so far this season, who debuted at No. 34 in this week’s FAB 50.

There may not be too many changes in the coming weeks, either. It should be noted that among the three unbeaten California teams near the top of the rankings – No. 1 Mission Viejo, No. 2 Amador Valley and No. 4 Archbishop Mitty – that all three are from different CIF sections and therefore would not face each other in postseason playoffs.

Mission Viejo has the best chance of getting knocked off in the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs, but Amador Valley has not exactly dominated the CIF North Coast Section Division I bracket with just one title in its history although that title came in 2011 when current senior pitcher Johanna Grauer was a freshman.

Here are this week’s rankings:

(Previous ranking listed in parentheses)

(Through reported results of Saturday, April 19)

*Indicates forfeit wins, losses not included.

 ***

1.    (1) Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, Calif.) 15-0

2.    (2) Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.) 16-0

3.    (3) Alexander Central (Taylorsville, N.C.) 21-0

4.    (4) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) 18-0

5.    (5) Cinco Ranch (Katy, Texas) 24-1

6.    (6) Columbia (Lake City, Fla.) 18-1

7.    (7) Ponte Vedra (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) 26-0

8.    (8) Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu, Texas) 24-0

9.    (9) The Woodlands (Conroe, Texas) 28-2

10. (10) Sparkman (Harvest, Ala.) 49-1*

11.  (11) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 24-2

12.  (12) Santiago (Corona, Calif.) 18-2

13.  (13) Harmony (Harmony, Fla.) 24-2

14.  (14) Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 25-1

15.  (15) Halls (Knoxville, Tenn.) 32-1

16.  (16) Esperanza (Anaheim, Calif.) 18-3

17.  (18) Verrado (Buckeye, Ariz.) 21-2-1

18.  (19) Cypress-Fairbanks (Cypress, Texas) 25-1

19.  (20) Olathe East (Olathe, Kan.) 8-0

20.  (23) Lebanon (Lebanon, Ohio) 10-0

21.  (32) Vacaville (Vacaville, Calif.) 18-0-1

22.  (40) West Florida (Pensacola, Fla.) 23-1

23.  (24) Hoover (North Canton, Ohio) 9-1

24.  (25) Immaculate Heart (Washington Township, N.J.) 11-0

25.  (28) Sahuaro (Tucson, Ariz.) 20-3-1

26.  (27) Alhambra (Martinez, Calif.) 14-2

27.  (30) Bishop Carroll (Wichita, Kan.) 10-0

28.  (31) South Salem (Salem, Ore.) 15-0

29.  (17) Brazoswood (Clute, Texas) 25-3

30.  (49) Sunrise Mountain (Peoria, Ariz.) 17-2

31.  (33) Deer Park (Deer Park, Texas) 26-4

32.  (37) Pacifica (Garden Grove, Calif.) 16-4

33.  (35) Sherwood (Sandy Spring, Md.) 8-0

34.  (NR) Mauldin (Mauldin, S.C.) 18-0

35.  (29) Gibbs (Corryton, Tenn.) 33-3

36.  (22) Mountain Ridge (Glendale, Ariz.) 21-4-1

37.  (39) Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, Calif.) 14-4

38.  (41) Chino Hills (Chino Hills, Calif.) 17-4

39.  (47) Westview (San Diego, Calif.) 17-1-1

40.  (44) LaGrange (LaGrange, Texas) 31-1

41.  (45) John Curtis Christian (River Ridge, La.) 23-2

42.  (NR) M.L. King (Riverside, Calif.) 17-3

43.  (NR) Manteno (Manteno, Ill.) 20-0

44.  (NR) North Davidson (Lexington, N.C.) 18-0

45.  (NR) Tahoma (Kent, Wash.) 11-0

46.  (21) Clovis (Clovis, Calif.) 19-1

47.  (48) Southington (Southington, Conn.) 5-0

48.  (NR) Bay City Western (Auburn, Mich.) 4-0

49.  (34) Red Mountain (Mesa, Ariz.) 20-5-1

50.  (36) P.K. Yonge (Gainesville, Fla.) 21-3

Dropped Out: Previous No. 26 Bloom-Carroll (Carroll, Ohio); No. 38 Downer’s Grove South (Downer’s Grove, Ill.); No. 42 Northern (Owings Mills, Md.); No. 43 Portage Central (Portage, Mich.); No. 46 University (Orange City, Fla.); No. 50 El Camino Real (Woodland Hills, Calif.).

 

Teams On The Bubble

• Baker (Mobile, Ala.) 45-3
• Ballard (Louisville, Ky.) 20-0
• Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.) 12-1
• Bloomingdale (Valrico, Fla.) 22-2
• Camas (Camas, Wash.) 8-0
• Chopticon (Morganza, Md.) 11-1
• Eastern Tech (Baltimore, Md.) 13-0
• Elk Grove (Elk Grove, Calif.) 10-4
• Flower Mound (Flower Mound, Texas) 23-6-1
• Hagerty (Oviedo, Fla.) 23-5
• Gilbert (Gilbert, Ariz.) 21-6
• Hillcrest (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) 35-6-1
• Indian Hills (Oakland, N.J.) 12-0
• Lake Braddock (Burke, Va.) 10-0
• Lakeshore (Stevensville, Mich.) 8-1
• Lincoln-Way West (New Lenox, Ill.) 13-1
• Marina (Huntington Beach, Calif.) 15-5
• Marysville (Marysville, Ohio) 12-0
• Middle Creek (Apex, N.C.) 11-1
• Mt. Juliet (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) 24-4
• Pearce (Richardson, Texas) 21-2
• University (Orange City, Fla.) 22-3