3-22-2011 Alabama Tops NFCA Poll

Conference Sweeps Push Alabama to No. 1 In USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll
March 21, 2011

STARKVILLE, Miss. – After sweeping previous No. 1 Georgia and rival Auburn last week, Alabama leap-frogged fellow SEC school Florida to take the top spot in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 polls for the first time since March 3, 2009, the Association announced on Tuesday.

The Crimson Tide (29-1) notched 24 of the 30 first-place votes this week, while No. 2 Florida (30-1) picked up the remaining six.  Previous No. 1, Georgia (23-4), fell to third after finishing last week at 2-3. 

 Washington (22-2) lost its first games of the season at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., last week, forcing the Huskies out of the top five for the first time since February.  With Washington falling to sixth, Michigan (29-2) and Arizona State (30-2) moved up one spot each to round out the top five positions.

For the first time this season, no teams entered or exited the poll this week.  The biggest gain of the week went to Texas (24-3) who moved from 12^th to eighth after going 5-0 to win the prestigious Judi Garman Classic.  The biggest of the Longhorns’ five wins in California came on the first day of the classic when they topped then No. 4 Washington, 12-0, in five innings.

The USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference. Records as of Mar. 20, 2011 are shown, first-place votes are in parentheses.

 Dropped Out: None

Others Receiving Votes: Georgia Tech 14, Syracuse 10, Kansas 9, Fresno St. 8, BYU 5, S.C. Upstate 2, Long Beach St. 1, North Carolina 1, Notre Dame 1