New No. 1 Emerges In Iowa High School Softball Class Rankings

Carlisle replaces ADM at the top of Class 4A this week on the diamond.

Carlisle softball team celebrates after winning over Dallas Center-Grimes' during the first inning in the class 4A state softball quarterfinal at Rogers Sports complex on Monday, July 22, 2024, in Fort Dodge, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

Four of the five No. 1 teams remained the same in the latest Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union softball rankings, with Carlisle taking over the top spot in Class 4A this week.

Released on Wednesday, the Wildcats moved one spot ahead of Adel-ADM for No. 1. Carlisle is off to a 14-1 start, and are ranked high in the latest High School On SI Iowa State Softball Rankings, which take into account teams from all five classes.

ADM dropped just one spot to second, with Fort Dodge, Western Dubuque and Clear Creek-Amana rounding out the Top 5. Sergeant Bluff-Luton and Spencer both moved into the Class 4A Top 15, replacing Solon and Ballard.

Four Other No. 1 Ranked Teams Remain The Same

Waukee Northwest, the top-ranked team in the High School On SI Iowa State Softball Rankings, is still in the No. 1 spot in Class 5A, the state’s largest classification for softball.

Checking in behind the Wolves is Ankeny Centennial, followed by West Des Moines Valley, Southeast Polk and Dallas Center-Grimes. Pleasant Valley dropped from third to sixth this week.

Cedar Rapids Prairie, Waukee and Des Moines Roosevelt all debuted in the Class 5A Top 15, with Ottumwa, Johnston and Dubuque Hempstead falling.

Williamsburg, the defending Class 3A state champions, held on to the top spot, as did Louisa-Muscatine in Class 2A and Clarksville in 1A. Clarksville is also a defending state champion.

Newcomers this week in the three other classes include Charles City in Class 3A, Hinton in Class 2A and both North Butler and Fremont-Mills in Class 1A.

Big Jumps In The Rankings For Several Teams

In Class 2A, Interstate 35 moved all the way from 11th to the No. 2 spot while Missouri Valley jumped from 13th to fourth. Also, Grand View Christian made a big leap, going from 12th last week to sixth.

Sioux City Bishop Heelan is now 10th in Class 4A after being ranked 15th last week.

Here are the latest Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union state softball rankings. These rankings will help determine both regional brackets for the postseason and who is the home team for those games.

Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Softball Rankings

Class 5A

1. Waukee Northwest
2. Ankeny Centennial
3. West Des Moines Valley
4. Southeast Polk
5. Dallas Center-Grimes
6. Pleasant Valley
7. Cedar Rapids Kennedy
8. Muscatine
9. Linn-Mar
10. Cedar Rapids Prairie
11. Bettendorf
12. Dowling Catholic
13. Waukee
14. Des Moines Roosevelt
15. Cedar Falls

Dropped out: Ottumwa (11); Johnston (13); Dubuque Hempstead (14).

Class 4A

1. Carlisle
2. ADM
3. Fort Dodge
4. Western Dubuque
5. Clear Creek-Amana
6. Cedar Rapids Xavier
7. North Polk
8. North Scott
9. Winterset
10. Sioux City Bishop Heelan
11. Pella
12. Norwalk
13. Gilbert
14. Sergeant Bluff-Luton
15. Spencer

Dropped out: Solon (13); Ballard (14).

Class 3A

1. Williamsburg
2. Dubuque Wahlert Catholic
3. Albia
4. Mount Vernon
5. Van Meter
6. West Liberty
7. PCM
8. West Delaware
9. Center Point-Urbana
10. Davenport Assumption
11. Atlantic
12. Osage
13. Clear Lake
14. Des Moines Christian
15. Charles City

Dropped out: Mid-Prairie (14).

Class 2A

1. Louisa-Muscatine
2. Interstate 35
3. West Lyon
4. Missouri Valley
5. Logan-Magnolia
6. Grand View Christian
7. Wapsie Valley
8. East Marshall
9. Durant
10. Riverside
11. Pleasantville
12. West Marshall
13. Iowa City Regina Catholic
14. Lisbon
15. Hinton

Dropped out: Sumner-Fredericksburg (15).

Class 1A

1. Clarksville
2. Mason City Newman Catholic
3. West Monona
4. Exira-EHK/Audubon
5. Fort Dodge St. Edmond
6. Edgewood-Colesburg
7. Newell-Fonda
8. Highland
9. North Linn
10. Wayne
11. Remsen St. Mary’s
12. Martensdale-St. Mary’s
13. North Butler
14. Fremont-Mills
15. Southeast Warren

Dropped out: Don Bosco (14); Kee (15).