HS Ranking

[B-Dad]

Update 5/27 - Well the playoffs have begun and the regional championships have been played. There are 8 teams in the top 20 that have been knocked out:
No. 7 Mother McAuley
No. 8 Naperville Central
No. 10 Manteno
No. 13 St. Charles North
No. 15 Andrew
No. 17 Providence
No. 18 Lincoln-Way East
No. 19 Cary-Grove
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Update 5/21 - Here is Sun-Times rankings. Movement this week is Naperville Central dropped 6 spots after losing 2 more and Glendard South dropped six as well. Benet dropped out of the top 10 for the first time after going on a losing streak. Now the playoffs start, so you can throw the rankings out the window, the results will speak for themselves.
Bill Harrison’s softball rankings
With record and last week’s rank
1. Bishop McNamara (1) 30-0
2. Barrington (4) 30-1
3. New Trier (5) 26-2
4. Marist (6) 24-9
5. Trinity (8) 26-4
6. Glenbard North (9) 23-4
7. Mother McAuley (10) 17-5
8. Naperville Central (2) 29-3
9. Glenbard South (3) 24-5
10. Manteno (11) 22-5
Others: Lincoln-Way West, Benet, St. Charles North, Downers North, Andrew, Sandburg, Providence, Lincoln-Way East, Cary-Grove, St. Charles East
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Update 5/14 - Here is Sun-Times rankings. Movement this week is Bishop McNamara moved to #1 spot as Naperville Central dropped their first game. Lots of other movement this week.
Bill Harrison’s softball rankings
With record and last week’s rank
1. Bishop McNamara (2) 28-0
2. Naperville Central (1) 29-1
3. Glenbard South (6) 21-3
4. Barrington (9) 28-1
5. New Trier (3) 22-2
6. Marist (11) 18-9
7. Benet (4) 17-7
8. Trinity (7) 22-5
9. Glenbard North (8) 20-4
10. Mother McAuley (10) 15-5
Others: Manteno, Beecher, Lincoln-Way West, St. Charles North, Downers North, Providence, Lincoln-Way East, Andrew, Cary-Grove, St. Charles East
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Update 5/7 - Here is Sun-Times rankings. Movement this week is Bishop McNamara jumped up to number 2, New Trier climed 5 to number 3, Barrington moved up 4 into top 10 at number 9, and Mother McAuley dropped 4 spots to number 7.
Bill Harrison’s softball rankings
With record and last week’s rank
1. Naperville Central (1) 25-0
2. Bishop McNamara (4) 23-2
3. New Trier (8) 17-1
4. Benet (2) 16-3
5. Lincoln-Way West (3) 19-3
6. Glenbard South (12) 17-3
7. Trinity (5) 19-4
8. Glenbard North (6) 16-3
9. Barrington (9) 23-1
10. Mother McAuley (7) 13-3
Others: Marist, Manteno, Beecher, Downers North, Providence, Lincoln-Way East, St. Charles North, Lemont, Andrew, Lockport
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Update 4/30 - Here is Sun-Times rankings. Movement this week is Bishop McNamara jumped up 5 spots to number 4, Barrington moved up 4 into top 10 at number 9, and Mother McAuley dropped 4 spots to number 7. This list is taking shape as now most teams are halfway through the games they will play this year. A couple teams are not yet been tested against top 10 teams yet, so more to come through the rest of the season.
Bill Harrison’s softball rankings
(With last week’s ranking and record through Monday)
1. Naperville Central (1) 18-0
2. Benet (2) 12-2
3. Lincoln-Way West (6) 16-2
4. Bishop McNamara (9) 18-0
5. Trinity (5) 17-3
6. Glenbard North (4) 11-2
7. Mother McAuley (3) 13-2
8. New Trier (8) 13-1
9. Barrington (13) 21-1
10. Beecher (10) 19-3
Others: Manteno, Glenbard South, Downers North, Providence, Andrew, Cary-Grove, DeKalb, Lincoln-Way East, Lockport, St. Charles East
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Update 4/23 - Here is Sun-Times rankings. Some big movement again this week, although the top 2 stayed in place. Providence dropped out of top 10 and Bishop McNamara jumped up to 9 from not ranked.
Bill Harrison's softball rankings
With last rank and record
1. Naperville Central (1) 14-0
2. Benet (2) 9-2
3. Mother McAuley (4) 9-1
4. Glenbard North (5) 8-2
5. Trinity (7) 12-2
6. Lincoln-Way West (9) 12-2
7. Andrew (10) 13-3
8. New Trier (11) 9-0
9. Bishop McNamara (NR) 12-0
10. Beecher (13) 16-1
Others: Providence, Downers North, Barrington, Manteno, Glenbard South, Cary-Grove, DeKalb, Lockport, Lincoln-Way East, Marist
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Update 4/16 - Here is Sun-Times rankings. Lake Park dropped out of the top 10 and was replaced with Lincoln-Way West. Weather has continued to be horrible and forecasts call for 3+ inches of rain in the next couple of days. Many teams would have played about 6 to 10 more games by now.
Bill Harrison’s softball rankings
With last week’s ranking and record through Monday
1. Naperville Central (4) 10-0
2. Benet (2) 7-1
3. Providence (1) 6-2
4. Mother McAuley (6) 8-1
5. Glenbard North (7) 7-1
6. Downers North (8) 8-3
7. Trinity (3) 10-2
8. Barrington (10) 11-0
9. Lincoln-Way West (15) 9-2
10. Andrew (5) 9-3
Others: New Trier, DeKalb, Beecher, Zion-Benton, Manteno, Glenbard South, Antioch, Cary-Grove, Lincoln-Way East, Carmel
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Update 4/9 - Here is Sun-Times rankings. Three previous not ranked teams moved into top 10 after a very strong start. I wonder how big of a post this can be before the bucket breaks?
Bill Harrison's softball rankings
With previous rank and record
1. Providence (2) 5-0
2. Benet (1) 5-1
3. Trinity (5) 9-1
4. Naperville Central (NR) 7-0
5. Andrew (8) 7-2
6. Mother McAuley (10) 6-1
7. Glenbard North (11) 7-1
8. Downers North (6) 5-3
9. Lake Park (NR) 9-1
10. Barrington (NR) 8-0
Others: New Trier, DeKalb, Beecher, Zion-Benton, Lincoln-Way West, Marian Catholic, Manteno, Glenbard South, Elk Grove, Plainfield South.
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Update 4/8 - This is from the Daily Herald, other polls were from Sun-Times. Interesting to see the differences between papers. Several HS's appear on one paper and not the other. Anyway, got quite a few games in last week. This weeks looks many games will get cancelled due to rain.
Top 20 rankings
1. Barrington (7-0) Averaging 14 runs per game
2. Elk Grove (7-1) Visits Barrington Wednesday
3. Benet (4-1) Abello has 5 homers already
4. Glenbard North (6-1) No better infield defense than Panthers’
5. Naperville C. (6-0) Hayes handcuffs Benet’s big hitters
6. Cary-Grove (4-0) Efflandt off to great start
7. Glenbard S. (5-0) Trzaska proving to be quite the pitcher
8. Burlington C. (8-1) Kisch, Gaylord a tough combo in circle
9. Maine West (4-1) Wengerski tough at top of order
10. Warren (6-3) Amy Ricci’s HR helps beat Carmel
11. Downers Grove (5-3) `Heflin perfecto, 14 Ks vs. Manteno
12. Lake Park (9-1) Jecmen (4 HRs) off to big start with bat, on the mound
13. Waubonsie Valley (7-2) Minahan’s bat blazing
14. Bartlett (6-2) Scoring runs in bunches
15. Neuqua Valley (4-2) Bilgri strikes out 15 in varsity debut
16. Conant (3-2) Cavin one of state’s top receivers
17. Carmel (4-2) Frosh C Elert is Corsairs’ newest slugger
18. Mundelein (7-1) Fairweather 6 HRs in last 4 games
19. Huntley (6-0) Spannraft getting it done in circle
20. Willowbrook (5-1) Sam Schmidt is a sophomore to watch
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Update 4/2 - Some games have been played by the top 25, however many teams have not yet been able to get a game in. Nearly all teams will get games under their belt this week so the next posted rankings will be supported with results. Primary moves are Trinity and Downers Grove North dropping 3 spots each, Marengo dropping from 4th to being completely out of the ranking, Marist and Beecher dropping out of the top 10 and Andrew, Main West, and Mother McAuley moving up from outside the top 10. The biggest news is a sad item with Purdue-bound pitcher Dale Ryndak from Downers Grove North getting injured in the first inning of the first game. She suffered a torn ACL with a possible torn meniscus when she jammed her knee when rounding third. She will have surgery at the end of the month and is expected to be fully recovered by November.
4/2/13
CHICAGO SUN TIMES - SOFTBALL RANKINGS
With record and last week’s rank
1. Benet (1) 0-0
2. Providence (5) 0-0
3. Manteno (6) 3-0
4. Conant (7) 0-0
5. Trinity (2) 2-1
6. Downers North (3) 3-1
7. Fremd (9) 0-0
8. Andrew (11) 3-0
9. Maine West (14) 3-0
10. Mother McAuley (16) 4-0
Others: Glenbard North, Marist, Beecher, Glenbard South, Bartlett, Loyola, Cary-Grove, St. Charles North, Antioch, Elk Grove.
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With the weather cancelling first two weeks of the HS season, all we can do is talk about rankings. This is from the Chicago Sun Times. What do you think?
Will be interesting to see how the rankings change over the season. I for one would not want to be ranked number 1 at the beginning of the season.
3/20/13
1. Benet: The Redwings have seven Division-I players, led by 2012 Player of the Year Maeve McGuire. Kendall Duffy, now at Bradley University, is the only player not returning from the East Suburban Catholic champs that went 32-5 last season, but were stunned by Neuqua Valley 1-0 in a Class 4A regional final.
2. Trinity: Seven starters are back from a 30-8 team that lost in a supersectional to eventual Class 4A champion Marist. Michigan-bound SS Abby Ramirez, Lewis-bound P Chase Machain, and Illinois-bound CF Nicole Evans lead a stacked lineup.
3. Downers North: With two of the best pitchers in the state — Elaine Heflin and Dale Ryndak — the Trojans will be a tough team to score against. They bring back 28 wins and 339 strikeouts. Eight starters are back from a 30-7 team.
4. Marengo: The Class 3A runner-up returns six starters from a 36-6 team that lost 2-1 in the title game to Glenbard South. Five of those players started on the 2011 state champs. Senior pitcher Bethany Hart returns a 10-0 record from last season.
5. Providence: DePaul-bound pitcher Amanda Wilson is one seven starters back from a 29-13 team that finished third in Class 3A. The Celtics move up to Class 4A, and according to coach Jay Biesterfeld, are more than primed for the challenge.
6. Manteno: Seven starters are back from a 32-2 team, including WIU-bound junior pitcher Brooke Stulga, and University of Indianapolis-bound junior catcher Sammy Beckwith. The junior class won state as eighth graders.
7. Conant: Oklahoma State-bound catcher Miranda Cavin is back for her senior year. She’ll be joined by five other starters from a 33-3 team, including two other Division-I players. Keep an eye on the freshman duo of Dream Aaron and Kali Schumacher.
8. Marist: The defending Class 4A champions are riding a 12-game winning streak, return six starters and add Lemont-transfer Erica Nagel and freshman infielder Madison Naujokas. Loyola-bound SS Brooke Wyderski leads a stacked lineup.
9. Fremd: Five starters, including three Division-I players — Michelle Mazur (Georgia Southern), Mandi Matsumoto (Charleston Southern), and Leigh Farina (Illinois) — return from a 30-8 team that won a regional title. The Vikings went Downstate in 2009 and 2010 and are hoping to return to East Peoria.
10. Beecher: Seven starters are back, including pitchers Savannah Soppet and Sarah Crews. Both return with all 29 wins from last season. Coach Kevin Hayhurst doesn’t need a lot to win, but this season he has plenty. Back from injury is junior Isabella Woolslayer.
11. Andrew: A regional final loss last season will give the five returning starters, including three Top 100 players, plenty to chew on this year. Michigan-bound senior CF Kelly Christner returns her .526 average, six home runs, and 43 RBIs.
12. Glenbard South: The defending Class 3A champions were hit hard by graduation, but coach Julie Fonda usually figures things out pretty quickly. Back is pitcher Stephanie Chitkowski and two other starters from that 37-4 team.
13. Bartlett: The Class 4A runner-up brings back six starters, but it should have been seven. Senior catcher Kaylyn Zierke is out for the season due to an injury that required surgery. Junior Holly Pagen will take over the pitching duties.
14. Maine West: Lost a Class 4A supersectional to eventual state runner-up Bartlett and returns seven starters, including pitcher Ariel Valles. Valles pitched 17 innings in less than 24 hours to help the program win its first sectional title last year.
15. Sandburg: A 21-16 season in Orland Park doesn’t cut it, and nobody knows that better than coach Jim Fabianski. St. Peter’s-bound SS Candice Koch and Syracuse-bound catcher Elllie Forkin lead six returning starters for the Eagles.
16. Mother McAuley: Emily Powers and Megan Bush lead a talented, young team that bowed out of the Class 4A playoffs in the sectional final 4-3 to neighborhood-rival Marist. Keep an eye on sophomore Emily Rux.
17. Glenbard North: Pitcher Lilly Fecho graduated, but seven starters return from a 34-3 team that advanced to a sectional final. Senior P Lindsey Cherry posted a 7-0 record last season, but keep an eye on junior fireballer CeCe Dopart.
18. Richards: The Bulldogs were hit hard by graduation, including P Brianna LeBeau (Northwestern), and return just three starters from a 30-5 team that advanced to a supersectional. Coach Julie Folliard is high on senior P Stephanie Waller.
19. Cary-Grove: The battery of Lindsay Efflandt and Sarah Leudo have a three-year combined record of 90-17. They are two of six starters back from a 28-8 team that fell short of expectations last season, losing in a Class 4A regional final.
20. Loyola: Finally back on the radar this season? Could be as it returns five starters from a 28-8 team that won a conference title, a regional and beat highly-regarded Trinity twice on the road. Junior P Jamie Kiefer returns an 18-4 record and a 1.50 ERA.
21. Marian Catholic: If the five freshmen Keri Evans brought up develop quickly, the Spartans could be a factor. C Meghan Henson and OF Susie Baranski lead that class and are expected to make an impact. They’ll complement five returning starters.
22. DeKalb: Junior P Katie Kowalski is healthy again and that’s not good news for opposing teams. Kowalski throws 61 mph, and she’ll get some relief from freshman P Morgan Newport, who throws 58. Seven other starters are back.
23. St. Charles North: The 2011 Class 4A runner-up went 23-13 last season but appear to have rebuilt. Five starters are back from a team that will have a good balance of speed and power. Northwestern-bound P Sabrina Rabin leads the way.
24. Lane: The pride of the Public League have plenty to be excited about. Six starters are back, including slugger Hailey Pieruccini, who pounded out nine home runs last season. Keep an eye on freshman slugger 3B/C Kayla Garcia, who is already gaining Division-I attention.
25. Antioch: Nine starters are back from a team that won 21 games, finished third in conference, but bowed out of the first round of the Class 3A playoffs. Sophomore C Jessica Tyrell has speed and power, and is expected to be an impact player this season.

[Big Momma]

My DD is on that team and I wish we were not ranked #1. We lost our "heart and soul" when we graduated our catcher last year. She was the glue and one of the greatest young leaders I have ever seen. We have also lost our #1 pitcher, though we don't know for how long. With the shake up in the fielding positions and the delayed season I am somewhat nervous about the start. I feel they will heat up nicely but I am anticipating a slow start. I also know that the pot stirrurs will slam the team and their early season ranking.

[B-Dad]

It's a preseason ranking, doesn't amount to much. Although other teams will be pumped up and gunning for them while the #1 team has to keep up the energy. Sounds like an interesting set up for the start of the season, whenever it begins.

Hopefully we'll see how they do soon as it looks like the weather might improve enough to play by the end of this week, maybe next week at the latest.

I'll post updates to the Chicago Sun Times rankings over the season.

[hockeynut]

Don't worry to much about loosing your catcher to graduation because you have a great catcher stepping in for the job. She may not have the leadership tools but she is one of the top catchers in the state.

[Big Momma]

True she has all the tools but so do others. There is a lot more to being a great catcher than the tools. I knew girls who had great arms, great gloves and presence behind the plate but that does not mean that the pitcher will click with them. What we lost to graduation was a player who understood her young pitcher, worked her through tough spots and rejoiced with her in her victories. Those are not tools, that is leadership, putting the needs of the team first and formost. The new catcher is young and has a great deal of talent but she has much to learn. I just hope she opens up to others and what they have to teach her. Then, and only then, could I consider her "one of the best in the state".

[Midwest]

Big Momma,

You said you lost your pitcher? I heard she was having problems before Christmas but has gotten better. I hope she gets better quick. I also hope the H.S coach doesn't over use her again by what other people were saying. They never gave her a break and it led to arm troubles if I'm right.

[Big Momma]

Her injury was a dislocated knee during practice. Her arm is fine. Some feel she was over pitched but she wanted every inning, she wanted to be in the circle. She has at least another week or two of rest then she can start her come back. If anyone can do it she can! #12 is a fighter for sure!!!

[Midwest]

Glad to hear she will be back soon and it's not the arm.

[B-Dad]

Rankings updated. See OP.

[B-Dad]

Updated