Orange Beach, Ala. – (OBA) – The Orange Beach High School Softball Team has caught the attention of several national polls this year. According to SBLive, a national sports news platform, the Makos are now the #1 team in the country. Another high school sports news outlet, MaxPreps has the team ranked in the Top 5 in the nation. Using any source, it is clear that the Makos Girls Softball is a national powerhouse.

The 20–0 Makos made it to the top of the rankings after the previous chart topper, Pacifica of California, lost two games in a tournament. The team has been on the radar of national sports writers after last year’s success and State Championship.

When asked about how the Makos built such a strong program, Shane Alexander, Orange Beach Athletic Director and Coach of the Makos Softball, responded “We have really good players with a tremendous work ethic. These girls put in long hours with practices and games but also find time outside those areas to continue to work on their game. Their work ethic rubs off on the younger players and sets the example of how things are done here. We don't lower the standard because you might be in 7th grade, The Standard is the Standard. Most of these players started this journey a few years ago as middle schoolers and were challenged with a very tough schedule and it has prepared them for where they are now.”

Alexander added that it took many staff members to achieve the current status. “My assistant coaches are the best in the business, Jody Hodo, Katelyn Boyd-Carson, Sarah Hadder, David McLain are the best coaching staff anywhere. All of this would not be possible without their expertise in their specialties.”

The Makos Softball Team has stats showing that contributions truly come from every player:

OUTSTANDING TEAM MEMBER STATS:

Per MaxPreps

• Batting Average - Kaylee Favors @ 0.553
• On Base Percentage - Daigle Wilson @ 0.606
• Hits - Ava Hodo @ 28
• Earned Run Average - Justine Henderson @ 0.35

Taylor Poland, Teagan Revette and Kaitlynn Robertson all contribute mightily at bat, actually tied with 7 doubles each for the season. All the team members stats can be viewed HERE on MaxPreps.

Coach Alexander reminded us that local participation was vital to success. “The community support is like no other, from the Mayor and City Council, School Board and Superintendent, and our parents are the absolute best. It truly is a special place for a special team.”

The Orange Beach Makos still have a tough schedule to finish the season. Their last game will be against Pace, another national contender.

When asked about the attention and notoriety, Sane Alexander said: ”The Rankings and at all that goes along with it can be a distraction, we don't like to talk about rankings but we understand that it brings a sense of pride to our community, school, and our softball family. But ultimately, our goal is to win another State Championship and bring the Blue Map to Orange Beach.”

ORANGE BEACH MAKOS REMAINING SCHEDULE:

• 4/4 vs Spanish Fort 7:00pm
• 4/5 vs Todd County Central 6:30pm
• 4/9 vs St. Michael Catholic* 4:00pm
• 4/9 vs St. Michael Catholic* 5:30pm
• 4/11 vs Opponent TBA
• 4/18 @ Hewitt-Trussville 7:00pm
• 4/19 vs Opponent TBA
• 4/25 vs Fairhope 5:00pm
• 4/26 @ Pace 7:00pm