Softball Rankings: Week 8
4/3/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 3, 2012
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama softball team remained ranked number two in the country in both polls, the two organizations announced Tuesday. It is the second week in a row the Crimson Tide has held the second spot in the rankings.
California garnered all 30 first-place votes in the latest USA Today/NFCA Division II Top 25 poll, released by the Association on Tuesday, to become the first unanimous No. 1 of the 2012 regular season.
California (33-1) received all 30 first place votes for the first time since Arizona State made the clean sweep in the preseason poll earlier this year. The Sun Devils were also the last team to be a unanimous top pick in the regular season, doing so on May 10 of last year.
Alabama (35-1) remained at No. 2 for the second consecutive week, while Texas (31-2) moved into the top five, at third, for the first time this season. Washington (32-4) dropped from third to fourth in the latest poll after being swept by California, while Oklahoma (30-4) jumped from seventh to fifth to round out the top five.
The final two teams in last week's poll, No. 24 Auburn (26-12) and No. 25 New Mexico (22-10), both dropped from this week's poll, allowing two storied programs to make their respective returns in the process. LSU (27-8) returned to the poll for the first time since Feb. 21 at 24th, while Oregon State (26-10) came in at 25th to earn a spot in the rankings for the first time since February 2, 2008.
Oregon State's return to the poll also marks the first time since March 21, 2007 that eight Pac-12 teams have been ranked at the same time. The Beavers joined top-ranked Cal, No. 4 Washington, No. 7 Arizona State (32-4), No. 13 UCLA (25-7), No. 14 Stanford (27-8), No. 17 Arizona (23-9) and No. 18 Oregon (23-7) in this week's poll. The only Pac-12 team not ranked is first-year member Utah (23-8), however the Utes were receiving votes earlier this season.
For the seventh time in eight weeks, California (33-1, 6-0 Pac-12) remains the top team in collegiate softball the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America announced today. After a successful campaign at home that resulted in a win over Sacramento State and three over then-No. 3 Washington, the Golden Bears became the first team this season to sweep the No. 1 votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll.
Alabama (35-1, 12-1 SEC) stayed at No. 2 while Texas (31-2, 6-0 Big 12) moved to their highest ranking of the year, No. 3, after a flawless week-long performance which saw the Longhorns defeat Houston, Tulsa and New Mexico. Washington (32-4, 3-3 Pac-12) dropped a spot to No. 4 following an 0-3 weekend campaign against the Cal Golden Bears.
Florida (31-4, 12-2 SEC) dropped one spot to No. 5 this week, following a loss to then-No. 21 South Florida (33-5, 6-0 Big East) and a conference loss to No. 10 Georgia (29-7, 8-4 SEC). Coming in at No. 6 is Arizona State (32-4, 4-1 Pac-12), which went 1-1 at then-No. 16 Oregon (23-7, 2-3 Pac-12). The Sun Devils were bested 3-0 by Oregon, suffering their first loss in Pac-12 play, before rallying to earn a 7-4 win.
Rounding out the Top 10 are No. 7 Oklahoma (30-4, 6-1 Big 12), No. 8 Louisiana-Lafayette (30-1, 5-1 Sun Belt), No. 9 Tennessee (27-8, 9-5 SEC) and No. 10 Georgia. It was a weekend of firsts for the Sooners and Lady Vols pitchers, both of which are on the Top 50 Watch List for the 2012 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. Oklahoma's Keilani Ricketts threw her first ever perfect game in an 8-0 (6) run-rule victory over Kansas while Tennessee's Ellen Renfroe nabbed her first collegiate no-hitter in an 8-0 (6) run-rule outing against Furman.
Just shy of the Top 10 is No. 11 Missouri (28-5, 7-2 Big 12) which swept then-No. 20 Baylor (22-12, 1-6 Big 12) in a three game home series. Despite a loss to Oregon State, UCLA (25-7, 2-1 Pac-12) moved up two spots to No. 12. No. 13 Louisville (29-2, 4-2 Big East) suffered their first losses of the season to
DePaul, thus bringing an end to their reign as the only undefeated team in the Top 25, while Texas A&M (25-10, 5-2 Big 12) rose in the polls to No. 14, their highest rank of the season since Feb. 21. Jumping three spots to No. 18 is South Florida, which defeated Florida 4-1 before sweeping Pittsburgh in a conference series 5-0, 4-0 and 3-2. No. 25 Baylor dropped to their lowest ranking of the season following a loss to Texas A&M and an 0-3 weekend against Missouri.
New to the poll this week are No. T23 North Carolina (24-9, 3-2 ACC) and No. T23 Oregon State (26-10, 3-3 Pac-12) who enters the Top 25 for the first time this season. Dropping out of the poll is Auburn (26-12, 5-8 SEC) and Syracuse (21-9, 2-1 Big East).
