Utah, North Carolina miss week five NFCA rankings: college softball
Tennessee stays No. 1 in NFCA week five poll.
Week five saw little change in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association top 25 as teams settle in ahead of conference play.
The weekly poll determined by Division I member coaches have the top 13 teams virtually unchanged, with only now No. 7 UCLA and No. 8 Arkansas swapping positions.
Tennessee, ranked No. 1, continues its march, staying undefeated after beating No. 20 LSU three times over the weekend. The closest the team came to losing was actually against unranked Belmont, in a 1-0 victory.
Texas, at No. 3, keeps its 20-game win streak intact, dispatching South Carolina three times over the weekend. Despite the sweep, Texas never scored more than five runs, which could become an issue when facing the powerhouses at the top of the NFCA poll.
Arkansas, coming in at No. 8, dropped from No. 7 after a three-game series against Georgia. Arkansas dropped the first game 7-2, before winning the next two with a combined score of 13-6.
One loss is more than enough to drop a spot in a highly competitive softball landscape.
Mississippi State went 5-0 in the Jaguar Classic, bringing its season record to 25-2. The real test begins next week, as the No. 12-ranked Mississippi State takes on Tennessee. Even one win in the three-game series might be enough of a statement to move the school into the top 10.
Arizona finds itself in a similar situation, with three games against Texas Tech on the schedule for next week. A three-game sweep of BYU ensured they wouldn’t lose any ground in the NFCA poll, but an upset win over the weekend could go a long way.
Grand Canyon has climbed all the way to the No. 17-ranked team in the country after being unranked in week two.
A 5-0 record at the San Diego Classic brings their season record to a staggering 27-0. GCU has not played any ranked teams yet, but will soon see No. 21 Oklahoma State and No. 14 Arizona.
Arizona State was handily defeated three times by Utah over the weekend, losing by a combined score of 35-11. Arizona State, now ranked No. 25, is lucky to even still be on the list.
Unranked Utah and North Carolina both have strong arguments for being on the list over Arizona State. North Carolina even managed a win against No. 14 Virginia in a three-game series. Three games against No. 21 Oklahoma State will likely be the breaking point for Arizona State’s spot in the NFCA’s top 25.
The University of Central Florida, ranked No. 22, managed two wins over that Oklahoma State squad, which should bode well for Arizona State. Those two wins moved UCF up two spots, but confusingly left them behind Oklahoma State in the rankings.
While some interconference play started last week, the entire country will be exposed to it this coming weekend. Playoff teams will have the chance to feel each other out before major tournaments, while also making statements to help or hurt their standings in the NFCA poll.
This is the latest Division I softball ranking, including college, record, and previous ranking.
25. Arizona State, 19-6, (22)
25. Clemson 16-8, (25)
23. South Carolina, 15-9, (23)
22. UCF, 22-5, (24)
21. Oklahoma State, 17-7, (19)
20. LSU, 17-7, (17)
19. Stanford, 14-6, (21)
18. Oregon, 18-7, (18)
17. Grand Canyon, 27-0, (20)
16. Texas A&M, 17-8, (14)
15. Georgia, 19-7, (15)
14. Virginia, 22-2, (16)
13. Arizona, 20-5, (13)
12. Mississippi State, 24-2, (12)
11. Virginia Tech, 21-2, (11)
10. Nebraska, 18-5, (10)
9. Florida State, 21-4, (9)
8. Arkansas, 21-2, (7)
7. UCLA, 21-3, (8)
6. Oklahoma, 24-2, (6)
5. Florida, 25-1, (5)
4. Alabama, 23-0, (4)
3. Texas, 22-1, (3)
2. Texas Tech, 25-1, (2)
1. Tennessee, 23-0, (1)
Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Carter Joseph Brooks is a student-intern at Penn State University.