14 U FastPitch Rankings: Week of April 19th

Coming in at #10 this week, the Catonsville Chaos have an overall record of 5-5 and showed how dominant they can really be by winning the Breast Cancer Awareness NIT Tournament.  The Chaos made things look easy during tournament play, posting a 5-1 record, and outscoring their opponents 34-17.  After falling to the Fairfax Firebirds, the Chaos rattled off five straight wins, and finished things off against the Glory Elite, 6-2, to take home the championship. 

Hailing from the city of Jacksonville, the Florida Storm have posted a 17-5 record to this point, and finished runners up in the Extreme Border War Tournament.  In the battle of the borders, the Storm went 6-2, and lost a heartbreaker to the Santa Fe Inferno 98-Hill, 3-1, in the finals.

One of the most underrated teams in our rankings is the USSSA Junior Pride.  The Pride have a record of 10-10, but when you see the teams they compete against, it will make you shake your head.  At 14 years of age and younger, the Junior Pride have competed against the 18-U division in their last five tournaments.  Although they have not won any, they have very respectably finished once in second place, and two in third.  

Team Iowa Force continues to make a name for themselves with a record of 23-9, and a 6-0 record against Class Teams.  Over the past year, the Force have two tournament wins, and two second place finishes to cement their names as one of the most dominant teams in the country.  Tournament wins this year came from the Beaverdale Fall League Championship, and the Fall State Championship.  In their most recent tournament, they finished second at the Griffon Indoor 11.

 

The girls from Rogers Legacy are not showing any mercy this year, posting a 29-6 record and have top three finishes in all three of their tournaments this season.  In their latest tournament, the Monster Mash, the Legacy went 7-2, and won an epic battle against the Utah Evolution, 7-6, to claim the title.

The Next Level Academy have been nothing short of dominant this season, posting a 29-13 record.  Hailing from Jacksonville, Florida, the Academy has finished in the top three, in 5 out of 6 tournaments, with three 1^st place victories.  The Academy has tournament wins in the River City Round Up, the Duval Brawl, and the FastPitch Insanity.  

For opponents, there is nothing fun about facing the Knockouts from Bentonville, Arizona, who average seven runs a game, and only allow two.  The Knockouts have a 23-6 record, and have three first place finishes in eight tournaments.  In their latest tournament, at the TGSF Softball Rocks NIT, the Knockouts lost a heartbreaker against the Tulsa Eagles for a respectable second place finish.
 

At 20-8 this season, the Storm are outscoring their opponents by six runs a game, and have finished in the top three in all five of their tournaments.  The Storm started things off this season by winning the Extreme Border War Tournament, then posted a 6-0 record to win the Children's Healthcare Classic.  In their latest tournament the Storm finished runners up in the Spring Stampede NIT.

 

Making a strong case to be considered for #1 ranking, the Shooting Stars are 33-6 this season, and have an average margin of victory of five runs a game.  The Stars have four 1^st place finishes this year, in eight tournaments, and have a power ranking of 1192.  Their tournament victories include; the Red Raider Softball Fest, the Potomac River Clash NIT, the Heartbreaker Fall Classic, and the Breast Cancer Awareness NIT.

Ranking #1 this week, the Firebirds from Quad City, Iowa, have an impressive record of 23-2, and have won four out of the five tournaments they have been in this year.  By far the most dominant team in the country, the Firebirds have an average margin of victory of 10 runs per game, and possess 960 USSSA points.  In their latest tournament, the Firebirds defeated the QC Lunachix, 6-0, to take home the NS Lightning Swing Title.