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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor

The final rankings of the 2023 softball season have been released as the season hits the closing stretch and three local teams were ranked in their respective classifications, while a fourth was nominated for a spot.

With area tournaments set to kick off in the next week, the Helena Huskies, Thompson Warriors and Spain Park Jaguars will all enter the postseason ranked thanks to impressive regular seasons.

The Huskies will do so as the highest-ranked local team at No. 5 in the Class 6A standings.

They’ll enter the playoffs in hopes of making it back to the Class 6A championship game after putting together a historic run to a runner-up finish last year.

Sitting at 23-11, the Huskies have won four of the last five games ahead of the last week of the regular season.

Meanwhile, Thompson and Spain Park, like the Huskies, resided in the top 10 of the Class 7A standings all season and will finish the season there as well.

The Warriors, who will enter the postseason as the defending state champions in the classification, have lost three of the last four games, but they’re still 25-8 overall on the season with the important part of the year about to start.

Spain Park has an almost identical record, winning and losing one more game than the Warriors for a record of 26-9.

The Jaguars will be the two seed in their area going into the area tournament. Like Thompson, the Jags have hit a rough stretch, dropping three of the last five games, but with more than 25 wins, they’ve put together their impressive record against some of the state’s top teams.

Outside of those three ranked teams, the Vincent Yellow Jackets were nominated for a spot in the Class 2A rankings.

The Jackets are 21-8 overall on the season and have responded from a 1-3 stretch by winning their last three games in a row, scoring a combined 47 runs in that span.

ASWA SOFTBALL RANKINGS

CLASS 7A

1. Central-Phenix City (27-5-1)
2. Hewitt-Trussville (30-6)
3. Fairhope (29-5)
4. Hoover (25-6-1)
5. Vestavia Hills (34-6-1)
6. Thompson (25-8)
7. Spain Park (26-9)
8. Tuscaloosa County (25-11-1)
9. Enterprise (26-10-1)
10. Auburn (27-7-1)

Others nominated: Alma Bryant (22-12-1), Bob Jones (14-10), Daphne (30-8), Huntsville (19-16-1), Prattville (18-17).

CLASS 6A

1. Wetumpka (40-3)
2. Athens (34-7)
3. Hartselle (26-11-1)
4. Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (26-8-3)
5. Helena (23-11)
6. Oxford (21-6)
7. Pell City (20-13-1)
8. Saraland (27-10)
9. Hazel Green (21-15-1)
10. Mortimer Jordan (15-14-2)

Others nominated: Baldwin County (19-11), Brookwood (21-16), Buckhorn (30-14), Cullman (15-16-2), Gardendale (28-14-1), Spanish Fort (17-11-1).

CLASS 5A

1. Springville (29-6-1)
2. Brewbaker Tech (33-7)
3. Scottsboro (25-7-2)
4. Moody (22-11)
5. Jasper (12-5-3)
6. Elmore County (24-13-2)
7. Rehobeth (25-11)
8. Tallassee (20-14)
9. Brewer (23-10-1)
10. Alexandria (20-16)

Others nominated: Ardmore (24-12), Boaz (32-5), Hayden (11-13), Lawrence County (22-14), Sardis (17-13), West Point (15-10).

CLASS 4A

1. Curry (32-8-1)
2. Orange Beach (31-7-1)
3. Geneva (25-3)
4. Houston Academy (34-7-1)
5. Madison County (30-9)
6. Brooks (25-11-1)
7. Mobile Christian (28-7)
8. Northside (22-12-1)
9. Satsuma (30-9)
10. Corner (25-7)

Others nominated: American Christian (24-4-1), Cherokee County (18-9), Etowah (20-16), Handley (20-12), New Hope (15-13-1), North Jackson (18-10), Prattville Christian (20-10), Priceville (32-5), Rogers (22-17), T.R. Miller (24-7), West Limestone (24-6-1), White Plains (20-11).

CLASS 3A

1. Plainview (31-0)
2. Beulah (22-6)
3. Opp (23-9)
4. Piedmont (27-10)
5. Winfield (23-10)
6. Carbon Hill (23-7)
7. Madison Academy (14-4)
8. Lauderdale County (18-13-1)
9. Elkmont (19-10)
10. Mars Hill Bible (16-8)

Others nominated: Ashford (19-9), Glencoe (14-14), Randolph County (14-10), St. James (20-11-1), Sylvania (22-17), Weaver (14-6).

CLASS 2A

1. Wicksburg (34-8)
2. Hatton (18-18)
3. Sand Rock (30-6)
4. Lamar County (25-13)
5. West End (17-11-1)
6. Pleasant Valley (13-10)
7. Sumiton Christian (18-18)
8. North Sand Mountain (12-6-1)
9. Ider (21-13)
10. G.W. Long (13-15-1)

Others nominated: Ariton (17-11), Horseshoe Bend (12-8), Pisgah (9-19), Sulligent (14-11-1), Tuscaloosa Academy (9-10), Vincent (18-6), Woodland (14-9).

CLASS 1A

1. Skyline (19-8-1)
2. Leroy (23-12)
3. Brantley (20-9)
4. Cedar Bluff (13-14)
5. Millry (20-8)
6. Waterloo (19-9-1)
7. Kinston (14-5)
8. Maplesville (21-9-1)
9. Athens Bible (9-8)
10. Spring Garden (12-10)

Others nominated: Appalachian (8-9), Belgreen (24-12-1), Hackleburg (18-15), Meek (18-9), Ragland (13-12-1), Red Level (10-9), South Lamar (8-10).

AISA

1. Macon East (30-13)
2. Abbeville Christian (18-6)
3. Hooper Academy (22-10)
4. Lee-Scott (13-14)
5. Glenwood (30-8)
6. Edgewood (24-13)
7. Lowndes Academy (23-9)
8. Southern Academy (19-12-1)
9. Patrician Academy (24-6-1)
10. Crenshaw Christian (24-10)

Others nominated: Bessemer Academy (25-13), Clarke Prep (18-16).