Freshly ranked No. 1 Texas is looking to sweep No. 16 Texas A&M with one more win this weekend: softball

Game 3 between No. 1 Texas and No. 16 Texas A&M is today at 1 p.m. CT.

As interconference softball continued into its second week, it revealed more surprises than the first.

The top of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll saw major change, along with previously unranked teams joining the poll in week seven.

The top dog since week two, Tennessee, was dethroned. Tennessee fell to the No. 4-ranked team in the NFCA poll following a series against Florida.

Florida jumps from the No. 5 to the No. 3-ranked team after taking two of three games against Tennessee. The Gators dropped the first game of the weekend 2-1, but rallied for two straight victories to close out the series.

Tennessee’s offensive woes reared their ugly head once again, as the Volunteers scored two runs in all three games. An elite pitching staff has kept Tennessee in a lot of games, but if they want to truly compete, its offense will need to pick it up down the stretch of the season.

Texas was voted the No. 1 team in the ranking for the first time since the preseason poll.

Texas dominated a two-game series against Baylor, winning by a combined score of 21-2.

The Longhorns narrowly defeated Texas A&M Friday 9-8 and then again on Saturday 3-2. Game three is today at 1 p.m. CT in Austin.

Texas Tech moves up to the No. 2 spot following a three-game sweep against UCF. Texas Tech and Texas are both holding strong deep into the season, potentially foreshadowing a rematch of the 2025 Women’s College World Series.

Alabama drops to the No. 6 position after a surprisingly close weekend series against unranked Missouri. Alabama took two of three games, but was outscored 9-8.

This underwhelming performance let No. 5 Oklahoma jump the Crimson Tide after a three-game sweep over Ole Miss. This is Oklahoma’s highest ranking since week two.

Following a three-week absence, Duke rejoins the poll after performing very well the last couple of weeks. The Blue Devils have won 13 of their last 14 games, including two wins over No. 11 Virginia Tech.

A resurgence has given No. 24 Duke new life, but a test against No. 19 Stanford awaits them this weekend. This series could solidify the team’s position, or send them back off the NFCA  top 25.

Washington joins the poll for the very first time at No. 25. The Huskies started the year 10-6, but have rattled off 16 wins in a row, giving them an impressive 26-6 record. 

South Carolina and LSU both continue their inconsistent seasons after a three-game series in Columbia. The visiting Tigers took two of three games, but were dangerously close to sweeping the Gamecocks.

The first game of the series was tied at 5-5 after South Carolina rallied for two runs in the bottom of the fifth. The game remained tied until the 12th inning, when Lexi Winters, who had tied the game in the fifth, delivered the walk-off RBI single. 

LSU would hold South Carolina to just one run in both of the final games. LSU leaps South Carolina and is ranked No. 20, while the Gamecocks are No. 23.

25. Washington, 26-6 (Unranked)

24. Duke, 22-10, (Unranked)

23. South Carolina, 21-12, (21)

22. Arizona State, 23-9, (20)

21. Oklahoma State, 21-10, (23)

20. LSU, 21-10, (22)

19. Stanford, 18-8, (19)

18. Oregon, 23-8, (18)

17. Grand Canyon, 33-1, (17)

16. Texas A&M, 22-9, (16)

15. Georgia, 23-8, (15)

14. Arizona, 23-8, (13)

13. Virginia, 27-3, (14)

12. Mississippi State, 29-6, (11)

11. Virginia Tech, 28-4, (12)

10. Arkansas, 27-4, (10)

9. Nebraska, 24-5, (9)

8. Florida State, 28-4, (8)

7. UCLA, 27-3, (7)

6. Alabama, 29-2, (4)

5. Oklahoma, 31-2, (6)

4. Tennessee, 28-3, (1)

3. Florida, 31-2, (5)

2. Texas Tech, 30-2, (3)

1. Texas, 28-1. (2)

Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Carter Joseph Brooks is a student-intern at Penn State University.