MaxPreps has ranked Ooltewah’s Lady Owls the No. 1 high school softball team in its preseason Fab 5 for Tennessee.
The Lady Owls, coached by Jon Massey and coming off a 41-6 record in 2016, lead the balloting for the state’s top 5 teams heading into this season. Ooltewah did not reach the state tournament after losing to Stewarts Creek 6-2 in the sectionals.
Ooltewah, a third-place finisher in the 2015 state tournament, is ranked 33rd in MaxPreps’ national poll. The internet publication rates teams regardless of classification.
Massey’s squad is led by junior pitching/batting star Kayla Boseman. She went 19-4 with a 2.04 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 127 innings and had a .589 batting average with 21 home runs and 89 RBIs.
The No. 2 pick is King’s Academy (Seymour) while Stewarts Creek (Smyrna) comes in at No. 3, Christian Academy of Knoxville No. 4 and 2016 state champion Meigs County (Decatur) rounds out the top 5.
Meigs County went 40-4 and defeated Silverdale for the 2016 Class A state title in Murfreesboro. The Lady Tigers are led by sensational right-handed pitcher Ashley Rogers, a junior already committed to Tennessee. She went 28-3 with a 0.69 ERA and 409 strikeouts.
The Lady Tigers return 16 players from last year’s roster.
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)