Iowa high school softball rankings: Benton now No. 1 in Class 4A

Last year's Class 3A state softball champion is now the team to beat in Class 4A.

Benton Community is ranked No. 1 in the IGHSAU's latest softball poll. The Bobcats (17-2) won the 2016 3A state title, then extended their winning streak to 38 with a new group of stars before splitting a doubleheader with Dyersville Beckman on June 7. Baxter CMB handed Benton its only other loss this year.

The Bobcats were No. 2 last week and flipped spots with Fairfield (18-3).

The other No. 1 teams stayed the same: Waukee (17-1) in 5A, Davenport Assumption (22-1) in 3A, North Union (16-2) in 2A and Lansing Kee (15-0) in 1A.

Benton is No. 2 in our area Super 10 rankings behind top-ranked Cedar Rapids Jefferson. The J-Hawks (20-3) fell three spots to No. 5 in this week's Class 5A poll.

Other area movers include Cedar Rapids Prairie (15-6) joining the 5A rankings at No. 15 and Iowa City Regina (12-7) slipping from sixth to seventh in 2A. There were a number of changes involving Class 3A Wamac Conference teams with No. 7 Dyersville Beckman (19-4), No. 8 Mount Vernon (17-7) and No. 9 Center Point-Urbana (12-4) each moving up a spot while Solon (15-5) dropped from No. 4 to No. 5 and West Delaware (17-5) fell from No. 6 to No. 11.

These rankings will be used to determine regional pairings in 1A, 2A and 3A, set to be released Monday.

Class 5A

1. Waukee (17-1)

2. West Des Moines Valley (18-3)

3. Urbandale (15-2)

4. Johnston (19-2)

5. Cedar Rapids Jefferson (20-3)

6. Pleasant Valley (15-6)

7. Davenport West (14-4)

8. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (16-4)

9. Indianola (18-3)

10. Dubuque Hempstead (15-5)

11. West Des Moines Dowling (10-5)

12. Muscatine (17-4)

13. Bettendorf (11-6)

14. Southeast Polk (12-7)

15. Cedar Rapids Prairie (15-6)

Class 4A

1. Benton Community (19-2)

2. Fairfield (18-3)

3. Ballard (18-3)

4. Winterset (17-3)

5. Sioux City Heelan (19-1)

6. Oskaloosa (13-7)

7. Perry (15-4)

8. Mount Pleasant (16-4)

9. Sergeant Bluff-Luton (15-5)

10. Boone (14-5)

11. Burlington (11-11)

12. Adel ADM (11-10)

13. Carlisle (11-8)

14. Denison-Schleswig (18-2)

15. Des Moines Hoover (12-5)

Class 3A

 1. Davenport Assumption (22-1)

2. Humboldt (14-1)

3. Sioux Center (11-2)

4. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (15-2)

5. Solon (15-5)

6. Atlantic (17-3)

7. Dyersville Beckman (19-4)

8. Mount Vernon (17-7)

9. Center Point-Urbana (12-4)

10. West Marshall (17-0)

11. West Delaware (17-5)

12. Spirit Lake (16-5)

13. Algona (11-3)

14. Albia (14-4)

15. Cherokee (13-5)

Class 2A

1. North Union (16-2)

2. Interstate 35 (15-2)

3. Eddyville EBF (19-4)

4. Durant (15-3)

5. Baxter CMB (16-4)

6. Waterloo Columbus (14-3)

7. Iowa City Regina (12-7)

8. Pella Christian (13-2)

9. Central Springs (16-3)

10. Logan-Magnolia (18-2)

11. Alta-Aurelia (16-1)

12. Lisbon (16-3)

13. Louisa-Muscatine (15-1)

14. Treynor (12-2)

15. Conrad BCLUW (14-5)

Class 1A

1. Lansing Kee (15-0)

2. Akron-Westfield (15-1)

3. Martensdale-St. Marys (16-1)

4. Newell-Fonda (16-5)

5. Ackley AGWSR (15-4)

6. West Sioux (12-5)

7. Clarksville (14-0)

8. North Butler (12-3)

9. Westwood (15-8)

10. Murray (14-4)

11. Colfax-Mingo (12-7)

12. Lynnville-Sully (12-5)

13. Sigourney (12-7)

14. Belle Plaine (11-4)

15. Woodbury Central (14-8)