LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two schools captured state titles to move up the rankings, as seasons rolled to a close for teams in the 2023 USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25.
Ballard scored a second straight Kentucky state crown and Rosemount won the Minnesota Class 4A championship to both move into the top five behind No. 1 Lake Creek, which successfully defended its Texas 5A title two weeks ago and remained the top team for a 30th week.
The (36-1) Bruins capped their run to another state crown with a 12-4 victory over Henderson County in Saturday’s final at the University of Kentucky. Wildcat signee Emory Donaldson powered the offense, going 4-for-4 with a double, triple, four runs scored and two RBI, while Louisville-bound Brooke Gray, the tournament’s most valuable player, completed a second-straight year undefeated in the circle by fanning 10 in a four-hitter.
Ballard, which went a perfect 39-0 en route to its first state crown last season, is now 75-1 over the last two years. The only game it lost over that stretch — 6-4 to Great Crossing last month — was a contest Gray missed due to illness.
Rosemount (26-0), meanwhile, wrapped an unbeaten season with a 6-1 victory over defending state champ Forest Lake in the Minnesota 4A final last Friday. Paige Zender hit her fourth home run of the state tournament in the fourth inning to fuel the triumph. The Irish had defeated both Hopkins and White Bear Lake by identical 10-0 margins last Thursday to reach the championship game.
In the only other action among Super 25 teams, Roncalli was denied a third consecutive state title by a 2-1 nine-inning loss to Penn in the Indiana 4A final. Two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year Keagan Rothrock did all she could, allowing just one run in the circle through the first eight innings, striking out 17 and hitting a game-tying homer in the bottom of the seventh to force extras. The loss left the Royals one win short of New Palestine’s Indiana-record 21 straight state tournament wins.
State rankings submitted by the 2023 NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality, strength of schedule, and active NFCA membership.
USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 Poll – June 15, 2023
1. Lake Creek (Texas)
Record: 44-1 | PR: 1
2. Jackson (Wash.)
Record: 28-1 | PR: 2
3. Rockridge (Ill.)
Record: 38-1 | PR: 4
4. Ballard (Ky.)
Record: 36-1 | PR: 7
5. Rosemount (Minn.)
Record: 26-0 | PR: 8
6. Roncalli (Ind.)
Record: 31-4-1 | PR: 3
7. Bentonville (Ark.)
Record: 29-2 | PR: 5
8. Willow Canyon (Ariz.)
Record: 30-2-1 | PR: 6
9. Austintown-Fitch (Ohio)
Record: 22-0-1 | PR: 9
10. St. Amant (La.)
Record: 34-2 | PR: 10
11. Mount Vernon (Mo.)
Record: 37-1 | PR: 11
12. Salpointe Catholic (Ariz.)
Record: 35-1 | PR: 12
13. West Stanly (N.C.)
Record: 31-1 | PR: 13
14. Donovan Catholic (N.J.)
Record: 28-2 | PR: 14
15. Anthony Wayne (Ohio)
Record: 28-5 | PR: 15
16. Coral Springs Charter (Fla.)
Record: 25-1-2 | PR: 16
17. Watkins Memorial (Ohio)
Record: 28-2-1 | PR: 17
18. Springfield (Holland, Ohio)
Record: 27-1 | PR: 18
19. Hollister (Calif.)
Record: 30-3 | PR: 19
20. Spanish Fork (Utah)
Record: 28-2 | PR: 20
21. Norco (Calif.)
Record: 28-4 | PR: 21
22. Neshoba Central (Miss.)
Record: 25-5 | PR: 22
23. Saint Francis (Calif.)
Record: 28-4 | PR: 23
24. Benton (Ark.)
Record: 28-4 | PR: 24
25. Bend (Ore.)
Record: 26-4 | PR: 25
Dropped out: none.
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