Softball Rankings: Week 6
3/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 15, 2011
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama softball team kept its previous position in both polls as the Crimson Tide check in at No. 2 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll and No.3 in the USA Today/NFCA Poll. Alabama remained in its spot after finishing the weekend 4-0.
After spending time in the top five this whole season, the University of Georgia (21-2, 3-0 SEC) has laid claim to the No. 1 ranking in week five of the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll. Georgia becomes the fifth school to be ranked No. 1 this year, proving the parity of the sport is alive and well.
Georgia was ranked as high as second this season but clinched the top spot this week after sweeping then-No.21 LSU in a three-game SEC series. Georgia outscored LSU (15-10, 0-5 SEC), 26-3, which included two five- inning games. LSU dropped to No. 25 after losing five straight games in SEC play.
Although Florida (25-1, 2-0) received eight first-place votes to Georgia's seven, they fell to No. 3 after going 6-1 on the weekend. Their lone loss came against then-No.20 Nebraska, 1-0, a team that moved up to No. 17.
The only undefeated team left in the top 25, Washington (19-0), moved into the top five at No. 4 after turning in a 3-0 weekend hosting the Husky Softball Classic. No. 5 Arizona State (24-1) advanced two spots while No. 7 Arizona (21-4) fell out of the top five for the first time this season with an even record of 2-2 this past week. No. 15 Baylor (22-3) made the biggest leap of the week, after spending last week ranked at 22. Baylor earned two wins in the three-game series against Arizona including a 6-0 shutout.
Houston (16-9) fell out of the top 25 with an 0-4 record over the week while Auburn (22-2, 3-0) re-entered the top 25 with a 6-0 week including a sweep of SEC-foe Arkansas.
The Georgia Bulldogs opened Southeastern Conference play with a three-game sweep of then-No. 21 LSU and as a result stayed on top of the NFCA/USA Today Division I Top 25 poll for the fourth consecutive week, according to the latest edition of the rankings released by the Association on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs (21-1) received 25 of 30 first-place votes in the latest poll and increased last week's lead over No. 2 Florida (25-1) from five points to 29 points. Meanwhile, the Gators, who suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of then-No. 19 Nebraska, received four of the other five first-place votes. The final first-place vote in this week's poll went to No. 3 Alabama (24-1), who went 4-0 in the East SEC/ACC Challenge. This also marks the third straight week that the SEC trio has held the poll's top three spots.
The nation's lone remaining undefeated team, Washington (19-0), moved from fifth to fourth in the newest rankings, while Michigan (25-1), who also fell for the first time in 2011, went from sixth to fifth.
This biggest gain of the week went to Baylor (22-3), who jumped from 23rd to 18th after taking two of three games from then-No. 4 Arizona (21-4) in Tucson. The now seventh-ranked Wildcats will look to rebound at this week's Judi Garman classic in Fullerton, Calif., where they will take on three top-25 teams.
After weeks of teetering on the edge of the rankings, the Kentucky Wildcats (16-4) finally moved into the top 25 by winning two out of three games at home against then-No. 7 Tennessee (20-4). Kentucky's addition to the weekly poll now gives the SEC seven teams in the rankings, tying them with the Pac-10 for the second most of any conference. The Big XII currently leads all conferences with eight representatives in this week's poll.
