Georgetown, Hyde Park and Bowie top our list of the Austin area's top softball teams

The top 10 Austin-area high school softball teams heading into the season:

1. Georgetown (38-6 last year): The Eagles have been to state twice, including regional finals last year as they lost to national two-time champion Lake Creek. Eagles graduated up the middle corps but return tremendous pitching in Cambree Creager and Maddie Hartley.

2. Hyde Park (40-3): Veteran coach John Carpenter returns entire lineup including standout Taylor Haywood. The Panthers set school records for wins and were second in the state to Legacy Christian Academy of Frisco.

3. Bowie (24-17): Liz Wissel retooled the Dawgs with new pitching, but Bowie hits the ball as well as any 6A team in the state with Anya German, Valeria Feeney and a young supporting cast.

4. Dripping Springs (32-9): Wade Womack is a veteran, winning coach with a loaded squad. Moving up to Class 6A, the Tigers claimed the district crown before falling to San Antonio East Central in game three which went 10 innings in the playoffs. The Tigers are loaded and have pitchers Haiden Anderson and Jai-Lynn Flores back in the circle.

5. Vista Ridge (16-13): J.R. Romero is in his second year at the helm of the Rangers softball program and the team looks ready to claim its post as the favorite in 25-6A. Brooke Wells and Mikala Ham will handle the pitching and Wells is one of the premier hitters in the area. Shortstop Chloe Wheeler is a special talent as is two-sport standout Sayler Bourland.

6. Cedar Ridge (22-5-1): Jessica Poole has guided the Raiders to the playoffs every year since taking over in 2011 (excepting the COVID season). Poole has a young squad, but the Raiders play solid defense and feature pitchers Nicole McCann and Caitlin Benningfield.

7. Liberty Hill (29-7): The Panthers have won at least 20 games a year for a decade (besides the COVID year) and appear ready to chase 30 wins this season with solid pitching, strong defense and solid hitting.

8. Johnson (23-8-1): Katy Snell has put together a talented team around slugging Sydney Wagner, the Jaguars are poised to make a strong showing in 26-6A.

9. Glenn (28-10): The Grizzlies have quietly become softball royalty since the school's opening. Playoffs are a constant as are college bound players. The young, fast and strong hitting Grizzlies will be around for awhile.

10. Pflugerville (25-8-1): The Panthers are a deceptive team, young and uber talented. Catcher-pitcher, track and field standout Lauryn Jackson leads the Panthers who pursue Georgetown in district play.

Also considered: Elgin, Bastrop, Round Rock, Hays, San Marcos, Lake Travis, East View, and LASA.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Georgetown softball leads Austin-area teams as the 2024 season begins