Top 2017 College Recruiting Classes
Top 2017 College Recruiting Classes
Top 2017 College softball Recruiting Classes
This post originally appeared November 2016.
It's a big week for high school senior softball players as they can begin signing with the university for which they'll play in the fall of 2017.
Based on the Final Hot 100 Players (2017s) and the Second 100 (players 101-200), we've compiled our list of the top college recruiting classes.
This is done on a point system where the higher ranking players received more points. Each player's point total was based on a scale that added up to 200; for example, the No. 1 player received 200 points, No. 2 had 199, No. 3 had 198, etc. down to No. 200 which received 1 point.
Note that the system favors those who signed more players, but with most programs signing anywhere from 2 to 6, it gives a good idea on who picked up top players and more of them!
Some notable takeaways from the list: the SEC continues to roll with four of the top five recruiting classes and seven of the top 13. Keep an eye on Mississippi State in the next few years; the Bulldogs finish No. 4 in the 2017 class and have a lot of young talent committed in future classes.
Top-ranked UCLA continues to stockpile young talent including the No. 1 player in the 2017 Class, Bri Perez (pictured) -- expect the Bruins to be a WCWS favorite in the next few years and, although Oklahoma and Arizona aren't in the top five this year (coming in at 11th and sixth, respectively), these two schools are ahead of the curve when it comes to getting younger classes as we saw with the recent publishing of our 2020 Hot 100 Class.
Here are the top 2017 college recruiting classes:
| Ranking | University | Points | # of players | Top 200 Player Rankings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA | 996 | 6 | #'s: 1, 7, 19, 26, 31, 126 |
| 2 | Auburn | 912 | 7 | #'s: 5, 24, 32, 66, 83, 131, 154 |
| 3 | Florida | 849 | 6 | #'s: 10, 13, 22, 64, 78, 170 |
| 4 | Mississippi State | 803 | 6 | #'s: 4, 33, 34, 60, 129, 143 |
| 5 | Alabama | 783 | 5 | #'s: 15, 27, 39, 56, 85 |
| 6 | Arizona | 781 | 6 | #'s: 44, 48, 53, 77, 79, 124 |
| 7 | Texas | 722 | 5 | #'s: 20, 25, 36, 65, 137 |
| 8 | Oregon | 711 | 4 | #'s: 12, 18, 23, 40 |
| 9 | Missouri | 704 | 7 | #'s: 11, 38, 45, 98, 148, 178, 185 |
| 10 | Michigan | 672 | 4 | #'s: 6, 8, 57, 61 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 645 | 4 | #'s: 9, 21, 28, 101 |
| 12 | Tennessee | 603 | 4 | #'s: 3, 37, 70, 91 |
| 13 | LSU | 528 | 5 | #'s: 35, 41, 62, 139, 200 |
| 14 | Notre Dame | 520 | 4 | #'s: 2, 81, 95, 106 |
| 15 | Florida State | 502 | 5 | #'s: 30, 55, 110, 128, 180 |
| 16 | Oregon State | 499 | 5 | #'s: 17, 29, 87, 182 |
| 17 | South Carolina | 456 | 3 | #'s: 14, 58, 75 |
| 18 | Ole Miss | 446 | 5 | #'s: 16, 88, 102, 159, 194 |
| 19 | North Carolina State | 440 | 4 | #'s: 50, 93, 109, 112 |
| 20 | Texas A&M | 398 | 5 | #'s: 51, 68, 142, 171, 175 |
| 21 | Arkansas | 338 | 3 | #'s: 47, 103, 115 |
| 22 | East Carolina | 306 | 4 | #'s: 84, 111, 138, 165 |
| 23 | Arizona State | 294 | 4 | #'s: 43, 108, 169, 190 |
| 24 | Oklahoma State | 284 | 3 | #'s: 49, 134, 136 |
| 25 | James Madison | 271 | 3 | #'s: 54, 123, 155 |
| 26 | Texas Tech | 270 | 2 | #'s: 59, 73 |
| 27 | Northwestern | 245 | 3 | #'s: 71, 89, 198 |
| 28 | Virginia | 238 | 3 | #'s: 107, 125, 133 |
| 29 | Georgia | 234 | 2 | #'s: 76, 92 |
| 30 | Nebraska | 225 | 4 | #'s: 97, 146, 157, 179 |
| 31 | Stanford | 220 | 2 | #'s: 52, 130 |
| 32 | Kansas | 210 | 3 | #'s: 82, 135, 176 |
| 33 | Ohio State | 190 | 2 | #'s: 96, 116 |
| 34 | Kentucky | 187 | 3 | #'s: 99, 118, 199 |
| 35 | Duke | 181 | 3 | #'s: 105, 151, 166 |
| 36 | Michigan State | 176 | 4 | #'s: 127, 144, 168, 189 |
| 37 | Rutgers | 168 | 2 | #'s: 67, 167 |
| 38 | UC Davis | 166 | 2 | #'s: 104, 132 |
| 39 | Syracuse | 159 | 1 | #'s: 42 |
| 40 | Texas-Arlington | 155 | 1 | #'s: 46 |
| T41 | Cal-Berkeley | 138 | 1 | #'s: 63 |
| T41 | North Carolina | 138 | 4 | #'s: 145, 161, 164, 196 |
| 43 | Georgia Tech | 136 | 2 | #'s: 94, 172 |
| 44 | Western Kentucky | 132 | 1 | #'s: 69 |
| T45 | Utah | 131 | 3 | #'s: 114, 177, 181 |
| T45 | Wisconsin | 131 | 3 | #'s: 90, 187 |
| 47 | Maryland | 129 | 1 | #'s: 72 |
| 48 | Penn State | 122 | 3 | #'s: 147, 160, 174 |
| 49 | Grand Canyon | 121 | 1 | #'s: 80 |
| 50 | Boston College | 118 | 2 | #'s: 121, 163 |
| 51 | San Diego | 115 | 1 | #'s: 86 |
| 52 | DePaul | 101 | 1 | #'s: 100 |
| 53 | Nevada | 88 | 1 | #'s: 113 |
| 54 | San Diego State | 84 | 1 | #'s: 117 |
| 55 | Washington | 82 | 1 | #'s: 119 |
| 56 | Purdue | 81 | 1 | #'s: 120 |
| 57 | Virginia Tech | 79 | 1 | #'s: 122 |
| 58 | Louisville | 66 | 2 | #'s: 74, 162 |
| 59 | Texas-San Antonio | 61 | 1 | #'s: 140 |
| 60 | Hawaii | 60 | 1 | #'s: 141 |
| 61 | Baylor | 53 | 2 | #'s: 152, 197 |
| 62 | Eastern Michigan | 52 | 1 | #'s: 149 |
| 63 | Palm Beach Atlantic | 51 | 1 | #'s: 150 |
| 65 | Minnesota | 48 | 1 | #'s: 153 |
| 66 | Boise State | 45 | 1 | #'s: 156 |
| 66 | Troy | 43 | 1 | #'s: 158 |
| 67 | BYU | 30 | 2 | #'s: 184, 188 |
| 68 | Central Florida | 18 | 1 | #'s: 183 |
| 69 | Loyola Marymount | 15 | 1 | #'s: 186 |
| 70 | Toledo | 9 | 1 | #'s: 192 |
| 71 | Illinois | 8 | 1 | #'s: 193 |
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