Alabama Continues Reign on Top of USA Today/NFCA Division I Softball Rankings
February 19, 2013
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Unbeaten Alabama (10-0) continues its reign at the top of the USA Today/NFCA Division I softball rankings for a second consecutive week during the regular season after registering a 5-0 mark at the Florida Gulf Coast/LaQuinta Inn & Suites Tournament in Fort Myers, Fla.
The Crimson Tide reaped 20 of 31 possible first-place votes, but again saw No. 2 Oklahoma (10-0) trim into its advantage, cutting this week’s deficit from nine to just seven points after receiving 11 first-place nods. The Sooners posted a perfect 5-0 mark at the Campbell Cartier Classic in San Diego, Calif., including victories over ranked foes then-No. 24 Kentucky (11-0, 5 inn.) and then-No. 18 Washington (2-0).
The remainder of the top five remained unchanged from the previous poll as Arizona State (12-0, unbeaten at the Littlewood Classic in Tempe, Ariz.), Tennessee (10-0, unbeaten at the USF Four-Team Tournament in Tampa, Fla.) and Florida (12-0, unbeaten at the Florida Lipton Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.) maintain positions No. 3 through No. 5, respectively.
Texas (11-0) held steady in the sixth spot after a strong weekend at the Hilton Houston Plaza Invitational in Houston, Texas, while Missouri (5-0, unbeaten at the UCSB Tournament in Santa Barbara, Calif.) and California (7-2, unbeaten at the Easton Desert Classic in Las Vegas, Nev.) each climbed one spot to seventh and eighth, respectively. Oregon suffered a 6-5 defeat to then-No. 20 Hawai’i at the Easton Desert Classic and, as a result, dropped two spots from seventh to ninth in this week’s poll. Texas A&M parlayed an undefeated weekend at its home-hosted Aggie Classic into a one position jump from No. 11 to No. 10 in the latest ratings.
The USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by 31 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference. Current 2013 records are shown while first-place votes are in parentheses.
USA Today/NFCA Division I Poll — February 19, 2013 — Week Two
|
Rank |
Team |
2013 Record |
Totals |
Previous Poll |
|
1 |
Alabama (20) |
10-0 |
762 |
1 |
|
2 |
Oklahoma (11) |
10-0 |
755 |
2 |
|
3 |
Arizona State |
12-0 |
709 |
3 |
|
4 |
Tennessee |
10-0 |
681 |
4 |
|
5 |
Florida |
12-0 |
654 |
5 |
|
6 |
Texas |
11-0 |
615 |
6 |
|
7 |
Missouri |
5-0 |
579 |
8 |
|
8 |
California |
7-2 |
535 |
9 |
|
9 |
Oregon |
8-3 |
521 |
7 |
|
10 |
Texas A&M |
10-0 |
505 |
11 |
|
11 |
LSU |
10-1 |
497 |
10 |
|
12 |
Louisiana Lafayette |
7-1 |
404 |
15 |
|
13 |
Georgia |
6-2 |
386 |
13 |
|
14 |
Arizona |
8-2 |
345 |
16 |
|
15 |
Michigan |
6-2 |
327 |
14 |
|
16 |
UCLA |
8-1 |
304 |
19 |
|
17 |
USF |
6-3 |
287 |
12 |
|
18 |
Louisville |
8-2 |
239 |
17 |
|
19 |
Hawai’i |
8-4 |
230 |
20 |
|
20 |
Stanford |
10-2 |
203 |
22 |
|
21 |
Kentucky |
8-3 |
167 |
24 |
|
22 |
Washington |
6-5 |
123 |
18 |
|
23 |
Florida State |
7-2 |
58 |
25 |
|
24 |
Tulsa |
7-3 |
53 |
RV |
|
25 |
Baylor |
10-2 |
46 |
RV |
Dropped Out: #21 Hofstra (2-3), #23 North Carolina (7-5)
Others Receiving Votes: North Carolina (31), Virginia Tech (24), South Alabama (10), Ohio State (9), Oregon State (8), Hofstra (4), Georgia Tech (45).
***First place votes in parentheses
