FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2015
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Fifth-consecutive SEC series victory helps keep Florida No. 1 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll
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OKLAHOMA CITY — 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.Â
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Click here to see the complete ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll.
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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. 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). Â
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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 No. 25 Texas A&M. The Tigers secured the SEC series, posting 6-1 and 6-3 wins over the Aggies.
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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. 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. Â
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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.Â
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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.
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The Top 25 remains unchanged as no new teams entered the poll and no teams fell out of the poll from last week.
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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.
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About ASA/USA SoftballÂ
Founded in 1933, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball is the National Governing Body 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 74 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 2.5 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/.
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About the NCAA Women’s College World Series
The ASA Hall of Fame Stadium serves as the home to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS). For the 25th year, the top eight college teams in the nation will head to Oklahoma City and complete for a National Championship title. Last year, nearly 70,000 fans attended the WCWS. Experience It Live May 28 to June 3 in Oklahoma City. Tickets for the 2015 NCAA WCWS are on sale now, click here to purchase your tickets and make a date with champions!
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Codi Warren
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Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications
Amateur Softball Association of America/USA Softball
Office 405.425.3431 | Cell 405. 420. 2817
