Softball Rankings: Week 11
4/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 24, 2012
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - After a 2-2 week the Alabama softball team moved back in both national polls. The Crimson Tide is now ranked No. 3 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 and check in at No. 4 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25.
The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America announced today that California remains the No. 1 team in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll. Following an outstanding offensive performance last week in which the Golden Bears (42-3, 13-2 Pac-12) outscored their opponents 28-4, California received 18 first-place votes in the poll, securing their spot as the top collegiate softball team in the nation.
The Bears, who have held the coveted number one spot in all but two polls this season, went 3-1 last week, defeating unranked Santa Clara 10-2 (five innings) before heading up to Eugene, Ore. to face Pac-12 foes then-No. 14 Oregon (32-11, 9-7 Pac-12). California captured the series opener 8-1 before falling in the second game to the Ducks 1-0, marking the Bears third loss of the season and second loss in conference play. In the third and final game of the series, California bounced back with a 10-0 (six inning) victory, capturing a fifth-consecutive Pac-12 series win.
Following a series sweep of then-No. 19 Stanford, Arizona State (39-5, 11-2 Pac-12) received two number one votes in the poll, jumping past Alabama to claim the No. 2 spot. The Sun Devils captured a third-straight home series sweep, defeating the Cardinal (32-16, 6-12 Pac-12) 11-9, 5-0 and 7-1. Slipping one spot to No. 3, Alabama (42-4, 19-3 SEC) went 2-2 on the week, falling to unranked Georgia State 5-1 and then-No. 13 Georgia (35-12, 13-9 SEC) 7-4 before besting the Bulldogs 8-3 and 6-4. No. 4 Florida (41-5, 18-2 SEC) and No. 5 Oklahoma (38-7, 13-4 Big 12) maintained their rank in the poll, while No. 6 Tennessee (40-9, 19-6 SEC) and No. 7 Louisiana-Lafayette (41-2, 16-2 Sun Belt) moved up one spot in the Top 10.
Rounding out the Top 10: Texas (37-7, 11-5 Big 12), which dropped two spots to No. 8 following two losses against unranked opponents Baylor and Oklahoma State; No. 9 Louisville (43-2, 13-2 Big East), which captured the Big East lead after defeating then-No. 17 South Florida (40-8, 13-3 Big East) twice; and No. 10 Missouri (34-10, 11-7 Big 12), which captured a win against No. 5 Oklahoma.
Moving up one spot in the Top 25 is No. 11 Arizona (31-12, 8-7 Pac-12) which went 2-0 against New Mexico last week. This marks the highest ranking for the Wildcats since the pre-season poll released in January. North Carolina (36-10, 11-3 ACC) also rose in the poll to a season-high No. 19 ranking after a flawless 4-0 weekend in which the Tar Heels captured two five-inning victories over Hampton University and two wins against Georgia Tech.
Although there was some movement in the rankings, the Top 25 teams remained the same this week.
There are only three weeks left in the regular season polls for the 2012 NCAA Division I softball season. One final poll will be released on June 12 following the conclusion of the NCAA Women's College World Series (WCWS) at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
For the fifth consecutive week, California finished the balloting for the latest USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 poll at No. 1, the Association announced on Tuesday. California's appearance on top of the poll this week is the most by any team this season, either consecutively or total.
Despite a loss to then 18th-ranked Oregon, California (42-3) received 29 of the 30 first-place votes this week. Following the Golden Bears in second was Florida (41-5), which received the remaining first-place vote and moved up from third to second in the latest rankings. Arizona State (39-5) also moved up one this week to third, while Alabama (42-4) fell from second to fourth after losses to Georgia State (33-13) and No. 12 Georgia (35-12). Rounding out the latest top five was Oklahoma (38-7), which returns to the first five positions after a two-week absence.
For just the second time this season, no teams entered or exited the poll in the latest rankings. However, joining the top 10 for the first time this season was Louisville (43-2), which went 5-0 last week including two wins over No. 17 USF (40-8).
The USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by 30 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference.
