Tennessee rises to No. 1; MSU biggest mover; LSU falls in latest women’s softball poll: NFCA
Texas Tech drops two spots in the week two women’s college softball coaches poll, while Tennessee takes the No. 1 position.
Tennessee remains unblemished as they throttled their competition in the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational. The Volunteers went 5-0 over the weekend, including four wins against ranked opponents.
Three of those wins were against teams ranked in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association top 10 in week one.
The week two poll changes many teams. The poll reflects votes from coaches, not NCAA Division I tournament selections.
Defeating No. 11 Nebraska, No. 7 Florida State, and No. 6 UCLA improved Tennessee’s ranking and allowed them to jump both Texas and Texas Tech for this week’s top spot.
Texas Tech’s one loss this weekend was enough to see them bumped down to the No. 2 rank in the NFCA poll. It was a close 3-2 loss against Nebraska, as the team finished the weekend 5-1.
The Texas Longhorns did everything right this weekend, but still managed to drop a spot in the NFCA poll. Texas went 5-0 in the Bevo Classic scoring an average of 11 runs per game.
Despite the undefeated record, Texas could not pass Texas Tech due to the strength of the opponents each team faced this week.
The biggest faller in the NFCA poll this week was LSU.
LSU had a tough weekend, where the team went 1-4. Losses against unranked UCF, No. 22 Duke, No 11. Nebraska, and No. 6 UCLA saw them drop seven spots all the way to No. 19.
Another faller is Oregon, which continue to slide after being ranked No. 5 in the preseason poll. The Ducks managed a 3-1 record at the Cardinal Classic, but their lone loss came against No. 13 Stanford. The team fell another three spots and is now the No. 18-ranked team.
Mississippi State was the biggest riser of the week, as it moved up five spots in the NFCA poll.
The team stays a perfect 10-0 after defeating Rutgers and North Texas twice, with another win over Murray State. Mississippi State is now the No. 14-ranked team.
Another SEC team, Georgia, made headway in the poll this week as well.
The Bulldogs went 5-1 in the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational, with wins over No. 11 Nebraska and No. 22 Duke. Georgia is now ranked No. 16.
The team’s lone loss came in their first game of the weekend against Oklahoma State.
Georgia found itself facing a 6-0 deficit heading into the sixth inning. Georgia would score five runs over the final two innings, coming up just short of a remarkable comeback.
Arizona State joined the top 25 this week after going 6-0. The team scored 62 runs, including a 20-2 blowout against Portland State. The weekend pushed Arizona State’s record to 10-1 on the year.
Oklahoma State probably had the most impressive weekend, all things considered.
A team that was unranked before this weekend now finds itself at No. 24. This ranking is no consolation prize, as Oklahoma State went through a gauntlet to get its spot.
The team played five games and faced five ranked opponents. The Cowgirls defeated No. 20 Georgia, No. 8 Texas A&M, and No. 6 UCLA, while falling to No. 12 LSU and No. 22 Duke.
The week two poll ranks the following teams, which include team, record, and previous rank, according to the NFCA poll.
25. Ole Miss, 6-4, (21)
24. Oklahoma State, 6-4, (Unranked)
23. Clemson, 6-4, (18)
22. Arizona State, 10-1, (Unranked)
21. Virginia, 7-1, (24)
20. Duke, 7-3, (22)
19. LSU, 7-4, (12)
18. Oregon, 5-4, (15)
17. Virginia Tech, 7-2, (14)
16. Georgia, 9-2, (20)
15. Arizona, 8-3, (17)
14. Mississippi State, 10-0, (19)
13. South Carolina, 7-2, (16)
12. Stanford, 8-1, (13)
11. Texas A&M, 7-3, (8)
10. Nebraska, 6-4, (11)
9. UCLA, 7-3, (6)
8. Alabama, 9-0, (10)
7. Arkansas, 8-1, (9)
6. Florida State, 8-2, (7)
5. Oklahoma, 8-1, (5)
4. Florida, 12-0, (4)
3. Texas, 9-1, (2)
2. Texas Tech, 11-1, (1)
1. Tennessee, 10-0, (3)
Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Carter Joseph Brooks is a student-intern at Penn State University.