Gators top ESPN.com/USA Softball poll (4/21)

Gators top ESPN.com/USA Softball poll (4/21)

Apr 21, 2015 by Brentt Eads
Gators top ESPN.com/USA Softball poll (4/21)

Rolling on an 11-game winning streak, the Florida Gators (43-4, 13-4 SEC) tightened their hold on the No. 1 spot in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll following a 4-0 week, including three wins over Top 25 ranked teams.

In a season in which only three teams have been atop the poll, the Gators earned 15-of-20 first place votes to remain No. 1 for the  seventh week this season while Oregon (37-5, 15-2 Pac-12) collected four first place votes and LSU (41-5, 13-4 SEC) captured the remaining first place vote.

Starting the week with a 2-0 win in game three of a Southeastern Conference (SEC) series against then-No. 16 Kentucky (28-16, 5-13 SEC), Florida also squared off against in-state rival South Florida.

Lauren Haeger hit home run No. 66 in her career.
Lauren Haeger hit home run No. 66 in her career.

Earning the standalone 7-0 shutout win, the Gators then headed to Athens, Ga. to take on then-No. 12 Georgia (35-13, 11-9 SEC).  With rain and inclement weather allowing just two games to be played in the series, Florida used the long ball to take game one by a score of 8-4.

During the contest, senior Lauren Haeger (Peoria, Ariz.) set the Florida and SEC Conference career home run records as she blasted a grand slam in the top of the first inning.  Not to be outdone, 2015 Junior Women’s National Team member Nicole DeWitt (Garden Grove, Calif.) also posted a grand slam in the seventh inning to secure the eventual win.

The Gators jumped to an early lead in game two of the series, but Georgia utilized three solo shots of their own to bring the score within one run before the Gators took the 4-3 win.

Up next for Florida in a midweek matchup against No. 11 Florida State (37-11, 17-3 ACC) before hosting No. 25 Texas A&M (33-14, 8-9 SEC).

Oregon remains the No. 2 team in the country this week following a Pac-12 Conference road series at Stanford.  The Ducks topped Stanford in game one of the series 5-4 and earned the series win with a 12-8 victory in game two.  Heading into the week as the leader in the Pac-12 Conference, Oregon will play host to the No. 9 Louisiana-Lafayette (34-5, 17-3 Sun Belt) Ragin’ Cajuns in a Top 10 matchup.

Also holding their spot in the poll this week is No. 3 LSU who went 3-0 on the week with a standalone 13-4 (five inning) win at McNeese State before hosting Texas A&M.  The Tigers secured the SEC series, posting 6-1 and 6-3 wins over the Aggies.

No. 4 Michigan (41-6, 14-2 Big 10) continued to shine in Big 10 Conference play as the team produced a 4-0 week with two shutout wins.  Starting with a 10-0 (five inning) shutout at Michigan State, Michigan returned home to play host to Indiana.  The Wolverines outscored the Hoosiers 21-3 during the Big 10 series sweep, posting 11-2 (five inning), 3-0 and 7-1 wins.

Lauren Chamberlain is one homer away from being the all-time NCAA leader.. AP Photo: Alonzo Adams.
Lauren Chamberlain is one homer away from being the all-time NCAA Div. I leader.. AP Photo: Alonzo Adams.

Keeping the Top 5 unchanged for the second-consecutive week, Oklahoma (38-6, 11-1 Big 12) remains at No. 5 this week after posting a 2-1 week against then-No. 14 Baylor (31-11, 6-3 Big 12).  For just the second-time this season, the Sooners were shutout in game one in an 8-0 (six inning) loss to the Bears before bouncing back in game two with a 5-2 win.

Oklahoma secured the series win in game three, blasting past Baylor 11-3 (five inning) in what would prove to be a historic win as senior Lauren Chamberlain (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.) tied the NCAA Division I all-time home record with her 90th career home run.

Rounding out the Top 10:

  • No. 6 Alabama (35-10, 12-6 SEC) produced a 4-1 week, including an SEC series win over then-No. 6 Auburn (41-8, 13-5 SEC)
  • UCLA (38-8, 12-3 Pac-12) rose one spot to No. 7 this week after sweeping then-No. 19 California (32-12, 5-10 Pac-12)
  • Auburn fell two spots to No. 8 after dropping their first SEC series against Alabama
  • Louisiana-Lafayette remains at No. 9 this week after a 2-0 Sun Belt Conference series at Appalachian State
  • No. 10 Minnesota (37-7, 12-3 Big 10) remains in the Top 10 for the second-consecutive week after going 4-0.

Making the biggest jump in the poll this week is Missouri (31-10, 11-7 SEC) who rose three spots to No. 17 this week after a 5-0 week on the road, including a series sweep against Arkansas.

Kentucky (28-16, 5-13 SEC) fell three spots to No. 19 this week after a 1-3 week of SEC Conference play with losses coming at the hands of No. 1 Florida and South Carolina.

The Top 25 remains unchanged as no new teams entered the poll and no teams fell out of the poll from last week.

The ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll is voted on by coaching representatives of 10 Division I Conferences in the 15 ASA/USA Softball Regions as well as members of the National and Local media who consistently cover Division I Softball across the country.

ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25

2015 Season – Week 11 – April 21, 2015

Rank Team Record Points Previous Ranking
1. Florida (15) 43-4 494 1
2. Oregon (4) 37-5 480 2
3. LSU (1) 41-5 464 3
4. Michigan 41-6 442 4
5. Oklahoma 38-6 408 5
6. Alabama 35-10 395 7
7. UCLA 38-8 369 8
8. Auburn 41-8 367 6
9. Louisiana-Lafayette 34-5 354 9
10. Minnesota 37-7 319 10
11. Florida State 37-11 284 11
12. Tennessee 35-11 267 13
13. Baylor 31-11 243 14
14. Georgia 35-13 223 12
15. UCF 43-6 222 17
16. Arizona 34-12 178 15
17. Missouri 31-10 155 20
18. Washington 36-11 152 18
19. Kentucky 28-16 138 16
20. California 32-12 107 19
21. South Alabama 32-7 96 22
22. Arizona State 29-16 81 21
23. James Madison 37-6 70 24
24. Notre Dame 37-11 60 25
25. Texas A&M 33-14 46 23

Parenthesis denotes first place votes.

Dropped Out: None
New to Poll: None

Others receiving votes: Fresno State (15), Kansas (13), USC Upstate (13), Utah (13), Western Kentucky (11), Cal State Northridge (5), Hofstra (5), Texas (4), North Dakota State (3), North Carolina (2), SIU Edwardsville (1), Virginia Tech (1)