Softball Maintains Top Five Ranking in National Polls
2/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala . - Despite a pair of losses last weekend, Alabama softball held on to its top five ranking in both polls, sliding down to No. 4 in the USA Today/NFCA poll and staying at No. 5 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.
The Crimson Tide dropped one spot in the coaches' poll, from No. 3 last week to No. 4 this week, and in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll the Tide remain at No. 5 for the second straight week. Florida and Oregon remain the top two teams while Michigan's two wins over the Crimson Tide last weekend propelled them to No. 3. The best start in program history helped LSU make a huge jump this week, from No. 14/15 all the way to No. 7 in both polls.
All nine ranked SEC teams from the first three polls remain in the top 25 this week, including five in the top 10: Florida (1/1), Alabama (4/5), LSU (7/7), Georgia (8/8), Kentucky (10/9), Tennessee (11/16), Auburn (16/19), Missouri (20/20) and Texas A&M (22/22). South Carolina and Mississippi State are also receiving votes in both polls.
Alabama went 2-2 last weekend at the Easton Bama Bash, falling twice to Michigan before rebounding with wins over James Madison and Lipscomb, both of which were NCAA Tournament teams from last season. The Tide's scheduled game on Wednesday at Jacksonville State has been canceled due to projected below-freezing temperatures and a high chance of precipitation.
Next up, Alabama will host its second top five team in as many weeks, welcoming the fifth-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns to Rhoads Stadium for the Easton Crimson Classic. The three-game series against the Cajuns begins on Friday, Feb. 27 at 6:30 p.m., continues on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 2:30 p.m. and concludes on Sunday, March 1 at 1 p.m. All three games will be broadcast live online on the SEC Network + through WatchESPN.com.
