Oklahoma City, OK - Fourth SEC series sweep keeps Gators atop the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll
Fourth SEC series sweep keeps Gators atop the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll
OKLAHOMA CITY — With only three regular-season polls remaining in the 2016 season, the Florida Gators (45-3, 15-3 SEC) continued their #RoadToOKC, clinching their fourth Southeastern Conference (SEC) series sweep to keep their hold on the top spot in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll. Announced today by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball, the Gators captured 17 first-place votes, while Florida State (38-5, 16-1 ACC) picked up two first-place votes and Michigan (37-4, 15-2 Big Ten) collected the remaining vote.
Click here to see the complete ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll.
The Gators, who have held the top spot in all but one poll this year, started out their week with a non-conference Top 25 matchup, squaring off with then-No. 20 South Florida (42-11, 14-1 American Athletic). The Gators and Bulls had a close fought contest, with Florida earning the 3-0 shutout win. The Gators wrapped up their week by sweeping Mississippi State 16-0, 6-3 and 3-1. Up next for the No. 1 Gators is their final weekend road series when they head to College Station, Texas for another Top 25 matchup against No. 22 Texas A&M (33-13, 6-11 SEC).
Returning to the No. 2 spot this week is Michigan, who gave up just one run in a 4-0 performance for the week. Following a midweek 8-0 shutout over in-state rival Michigan State, the Wolverines hosted Maryland for a Big Ten, three-game contest. Opening the series with a 9-1 (five inning) win, the Wolverines followed with a pair of shutout wins, 16-0 and 8-0. After dropping a game in a midweek doubleheader against then-No. 7 Florida State, Auburn (45-5, 15-3 SEC) fell one spot to No. 3 this week. The Tigers took the first game over the Seminoles 9-6 before dropping a 4-3 decision in game two. The Tigers bounced back strong from the loss, sweeping then-No. 12 Georgia (37-13, 9-9 SEC) in their three-game SEC series.
Alabama (41-9, 12-6 SEC) holds onto their No. 4 ranking, putting on a 3-1 performance on the week. Starting with a 4-2 win over South Alabama, the Crimson Tide dropped their SEC series-opener against No. 11 Kentucky (39-11, 14-7 SEC) in a close 3-2 decision. Alabama would rebound, picking up a 7-1 win in game two before clinching the series in a 3-0 shutout in game three. The Oregon Ducks (35-6, 13-2 Pac-12) close out the Top 5, routing Arizona State on the road for a Pac-12 Conference sweep.
Rounding out the Top 10: No. 6 Florida State rose one spot this week after picking up a win over then-No. 2 Auburn; No. 7 James Madison (40-3, 15-0 CAA) fell one spot despite going 3-0 on the week; No. 8 Oklahoma (38-7, 9-1 Big 12) rose one spot after a perfect 4-0 week, including a shutout, 9-0 win over then-No. 13 Tennessee (35-12, 12- SEC); No. 9 Louisiana-Lafayette (35-6, 16-1 Sun Belt) fell one spot this week despite picking up three, run-rule wins against Appalachian State; No. 10 Washington (30-10, 11-7 Pac-12) had a 2-1 performance on the road against Oregon State.
No. 24 Florida Atlantic (41-7, 16-2 Conference USA) joins the Top 25 for the first time this season after a flawless 5-0 week. Dropping out of the Top 25 is last week's No. 24 Nebraska (28-16, 9-7 Big Ten), who went 0-2 against No. 23 Minnesota (32-12, 13-3 Big Ten) on the road.
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.
About ASA/USA Softball
Founded in 1933, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball is the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation's largest sports organizations, ASA/USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 70 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 165,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2.2 million. ASA/USA is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women's National Team is one of only two women's sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won nine World Championship titles as well as claimed eight World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about ASA/USA Softball, please visit http://www.asausasoftball.com.
About the NCAA Women's College World Series
ASA Hall of Fame Stadium – OGE Energy Field serves as the home to the NCAA Women's College World Series (WCWS). For the 26th year, the top eight college teams in the nation will head to Oklahoma City and compete for a national championship. Last year, over 78,000 fans attended the WCWS. Be there to Share The Experience with softball fans from across the country June 2-8 in Oklahoma City. Tickets for the 2016 NCAA WCWS are on sale now, click here to purchase your tickets and secure your championship experience!
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