Oklahoma, Oklahoma State Top Two in Latest ESPN Softball Top 25
With the Team USA Softball facilities in Oklahoma City serving as the site for the Women’s College World Series every summer, it’s no surprise that some of the best college softball in the country is played right here in the Panhandle State.
That’s never been more true than this week, as the top two teams in the nation are the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowgirls.
Oklahoma retained its grip on the top spot as the Sooners have now improved to 21-1, their latest victory a 5-4 triumph over No. 6 Florida State. It seems like an eternity since this team dropped a game on the road at Baylor, and its 13-game winning streak since then has been dominant, to say the least.
Meanwhile, the biggest jump of the week, at least optically, was Oklahoma State climbing into the No. 2 spot after defeating the same sixth-ranked Seminoles in a three-game series. Florida State took the opener in Stillwater, but Kenny Gajewski’s squad responded with a monumental 9-1 (5 inn.) win on Saturday and then took the rubber match, 3-2, on Sunday.
Texas also improved in this week’s poll, up one spot to No. 9 nationally. The Longhorns split with Alabama and swept a pesky Wisconsin team in the Bevo Classic. The only concern from this weekend was an extra-innings loss to Texas State on Sunday, who is now receiving votes after besting the Longhorns and Alabama in a single weekend.
Baylor fell four spots this weekend to No. 20 after losing games against Boston and Long Beach State. At 18-4, the Bears still have one of the best records in softball but will need to respond in a big way after losing back-to-back games against lesser opponents.
Here’s a look at the entire ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS RANKING |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma (25) | 21-1 | 625 | 1 |
| 2 | Oklahoma State | 20-2 | 575 | 3 |
| 3 | UCLA | 25-2 | 572 | 2 |
| T4. | Clemson | 25-1 | 543 | 4 |
| T4. | Tennessee | 20-1 | 543 | 5 |
| 6 | Florida State | 21-6 | 489 | 6 |
| 7 | Stanford | 22-2 | 479 | 8 |
| 8 | Washington | 21-4 | 402 | 11 |
| 9 | Texas | 22-4-1 | 401 | 10 |
| 10 | LSU | 21-1 | 376 | 14 |
| 11 | Florida | 19-4 | 345 | 12 |
| 12 | Arkansas | 20-6 | 338 | 7 |
| 13 | Alabama | 21-6 | 313 | 9 |
| 14 | Kentucky | 17-5-1 | 311 | T16 |
| 15 | Virginia Tech | 19-5 | 306 | 13 |
| 16 | Duke | 20-5 | 294 | 15 |
| 17 | Georgia | 20-6 | 227 | 18 |
| 18 | Arizona | 17-7 | 184 | 20 |
| 19 | Oregon | 17-6 | 169 | 19 |
| 20 | Baylor | 18-4 | 144 | T16 |
| 21 | Texas A&M | 16-7 | 114 | RV |
| 22 | Auburn | 21-5 | 90 | 21 |
| 23 | Louisiana | 18-9 | 84 | 24 |
| 24 | Northwestern | 9-7 | 61 | 22 |
| 25 | Utah | 19-4 | 38 | RV |
