FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2018

Florida emerges as new No. 1 team in ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Florida Gators (8-1) have taken over the top spot in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, USA Softball announced today. Despite suffering their first loss of the season at the hands of then-T19 Louisiana (7-2), the Gators captured 10-of-20 first-place votes to land themselves in the top spot for the first time this season. Other schools receiving first-place votes: Oregon (9-1) earned four and Washington (10-0) earned three while UCLA (9-0), Oklahoma (6-1) and Texas A&M (9-0) each earned one vote apiece.

Click here to see a complete listing of the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate 2018 Top 25 Poll<https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball/College-Corner/2018-College-Corner/Top-25-Polls>

The ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll is currently in its 16th year. The ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll is voted on by coaching representatives of 11 Division I Conferences in the 10 USA Softball Regions as well as members of the National and Local media who consistently cover Division I Softball across the country.

About USA Softball
USA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 69 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 150,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2 million. USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch. USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships. The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game.

As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit,www.USASoftball.com<http://www.usasoftball.com/>.

About the NCAA Women’s College World Series
USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium – OGE Energy Field serves as the home to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS). For the 28th year, the top eight college teams in the nation will head to Oklahoma City and compete for a national championship. Last year, over 70,000 fans attended the WCWS. Be there to Share The Experience with softball fans from across the country May 31-June 5/6 in Oklahoma City. Tickets for the 2018 NCAA WCWS are on sale now, click here<http://www.ncaa.com/tickets/softball/d1> to purchase your tickets and secure your championship experience!

[cid:6173AFB5-323A-4720-9B92-01F3FA3A0922]
Codi Warren I Managing Director of Communications
USA Softball
2801 NE 50th Street
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111
405-425-3431 (O)
Visit Us Online: USASoftball.com<http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball>

Play #USASoftball, where Olympic journey¹s begin!