Softball Climbs to No. 1 in Both Polls
2/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 10, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama softball team takes over the top spot in both the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Top 25 polls, having turned in a 4-0 record during the opening weekend of the 2009 season. The No. 1 ranking marks the third year in a row that the Crimson Tide has earned the accolade.
"We appreciate the recognition this early in the season," head coach Patrick Murphy said. "All of us are excited about this team's potential. This senior class has now been ranked No. 1 three straight years. It's a credit to the players and all of their hard work."
In the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll Alabama received 12 first-place votes and will open its home season this coming weekend in the Bama Bash. SEC rival Florida landed at No. 2 with eight first-place votes while Oklahoma moved to No. 3 after capturing the Hawaii Paradise Classic title.
In the USA Today /NFCA poll the Gators check in at No. 2 after taking two of three games from Baylor last weekend. Defending NCAA champion Arizona State check in at No. 3, coming off of a 5-1 opening weekend after playing host to the Kajikawa Classic.
USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll - February 10, 2009
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | TOTALS | LAST |
| 1 | Alabama (14) | 4-0 | 703 | 3 |
| 2 | Florida (11) | 2-1 | 699 | 1 |
| 3 | Arizona State (4) | 5-1 | 662 | 2 |
| 4 | UCLA | 2-1 | 592 | 4 |
| 5 | Texas A&M | 3-1 | 568 | 5 |
| 6 | Michigan | 4-1 | 550 | 8 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | 4-1 | 548 | 10 |
| 8 | Stanford | 4-1 | 495 | 11 |
| 9 | California | 4-0 | 430 | 17 |
| 10 | Washington | 5-0 | 422 | 21 |
| 11 | Tennessee | 4-1 | 414 | 12 |
| 12 | Arizona | 2-2 | 412 | 7 |
| 13 | Northwestern | 2-2 | 403 | 9 |
| 14 | Houston | 3-1 | 330 | 13 |
| 15 | Fresno State | 3-1 | 306 | 14 |
| 16 | DePaul | 0-0 | 298 | 15 |
| 17 | Missouri | 0-0 | 259 | 16 |
| 18 | Nevada | 3-1 | 220 | 23 |
| 19 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 1-2 | 214 | 6 |
| 20 | Georgia | 3-1 | 205 | 22 |
| 21 | LSU | 2-3 | 145 | 19 |
| 22 | UMass | 4-1 | 81 | RV |
| 23 | North Carolina | 3-2 | 76 | 18 |
| T-24 | San Diego State | 2-1 | 48 | 25 |
| T-24 | Southern Illinois | 4-0 | 48 | NR |
Others Receiving Votes:
Mississippi State 47, Kansas 31, Long Beach State 30, Purude 24, UC Santa Barbara 21, BYU 20, Virginia Tech 12, New Mexico State 11, Florida Atlantic 10, Notre Dame 9, South Florida 8, Oregon State 8, Louisville 8, Iowa 7, Hofstra 7, Creighton 6, Hawaii 5, Oklahoma State 4, Auburn 4, Baylor 4, Texas 3, Nebraska 2, Central Florida 2, Oregon 2, Georgia Tech 2
Dropped Out:
No. 20 Virginia Tech, No. 24 Long Beach State
ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25
February 10 - Feb. 2-8
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | PVS |
| 1. | Alabama (12) | 4-0 | 491 | 2 |
| 2. | Florida (8) | 2-1 | 486 | 1 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 4-1 | 428 | 6 |
| 4. | UCLA | 3-1 | 416 | 4 |
| 5 | Michigan | 4-1 | 402 | 5 |
| 6 | Arizona State | 4-1 | 397 | 3 |
| 7. | Washington | 5-0 | 378 | 15 |
| 8. | Stanford | 4-1 | 362 | 9 |
| 9. | Cal | 4-0 | 333 | 14 |
| 10. | Arizona | 2-2 | 302 | 7 |
| 11. | Northwestern | 2-2 | 299 | 11 |
| 12. | Tennessee | 4-1 | 296 | 13 |
| 13. | Texas A&M | 3-1 | 282 | 10 |
| 14. | Fresno State | 3-1 | 225 | 12 |
| 15. | Houston | 3-1 | 180 | 16 |
| 16. | DePaul | 0-0 | 153 | 18 |
| 17. | Missouri | 0-0 | 146 | 19 |
| 18. | UMass | 4-1 | 143 | 24 |
| 19. | ULL | 1-2 | 135 | 8 |
| 20. | LSU | 3-2 | 131 | 17 |
| 21. | Nevada | 3-1 | 130 | 22 |
| 22. | Georgia | 3-1 | 106 | 23 |
| 23. | Purdue | 2-1 | 40 | RV |
| 24. | Long Beach St. | 2-2 | 35 | 20 |
| 25. | Kansas | 2-2 | 32 | RV |
Parenthesis Denotes first place votes.
Dropped Out: North Carolina and Virginia Tech
Others receiving votes: North Carolina (27), Ole Miss (23), Southern Illinois (17), South Florida (16), Oklahoma State (14), Baylor (9), Mississippi State (9), Notre Dame (9), Oregon State (7), BYU (6), Louisville (6), Nebraska (6), San Diego State (5), Florida State (5), Creighton (3), Florida Atlantic (3), Texas (3), Auburn (2) and Oregon (2).
