LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After setting the NCAA’s all-time winning streak, Oklahoma is No. 1 in the first USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll of the 2024 season. The Sooners (4-0) posted four wins at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Mexico and have been ranked No. 1 for 13 consecutive weeks and 44 of the last 45 polls.
OU’s third win of the weekend, 4-3 in eight innings over then-No. 7 Washington broke the NCAA record of 55 held by Northern Kentucky University when it was a Division II program. The Sooners also defeated Utah Valley, No. 11 Duke and Long Beach State. They head into this week with a 57-game win streak.
Tennessee remained at No. 2 as it picked up three road wins in Texas, knocking off UT Arlington 15-0 and taking both games at then-No. 22 Baylor, 3-2 and 9-1.
Making one of the big jumps this week is No. 3 Texas gaining five spots after a dominating opening weekend at the Stacey Winsburg Tournament. The Longhorns (5-0) outscored their opposition, 64-5, which included a pair of wins at then-No. 10 and host UCLA, 3-2 and 16-0. They also run-ruled San Diego twice, 19-0 and 16-1 and Long Beach, 10-2.
No. 4 Georgia, No. 5 Washington and No. 6 Oklahoma State all moved up inside the top-10, while Duke joined at No. 10. The Bulldogs (5-0) and Cowgirls (5-0) each posted five wins. Georgia stayed home as its pitching staff dominated with three shutouts and allowed just two runs, while OSU traveled to the West Coast for the Stacey Winsburg Tournament, notching four run-rule wins, including a 9-1 thumping of UCLA.
The Huskies and Blue Devils each went 3-1 down in Puerto Vallarta, suffering their only defeat to Oklahoma. They mirrored wins over Iowa State and then-No. 18 Nebraska with Duke topping Long Beach, 2-0 and Washington edging Utah Valley, 4-3.
No. 7 Florida State, No. 8 Clemson and No. 9 Stanford each dipped in the top-10. The Seminoles and Tigers went 4-1, while the Cardinal posted a 3-2 opening weekend. New-No. 18 Kentucky (4-1) handed Stanford both of its losses.
After a tough opening weekend hosting the Stacey Winsburg Tournament, UCLA plummeted nine spots to No. 19. The Bruins (2-3) were run-ruled twice by Texas and Oklahoma State, respectively, while also dropping a 3-2 contest to the Longhorns. UCLA’s two wins were by one run against Maryland (6-5) and San Diego (7-6).
Two programs joined the rankings this week as unranked Missouri and then-RV Virginia Tech entered the mix at No. 14 and 21, respectively. The Tigers captured the 2024 NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla. They defeated then-No. 5 Clemson, 4-1, in the winner-take-all contest on Feb. 11 and also picked up victories over No. 13 Utah, then-RV Liberty, NC State and South Alabama.
The Hokies went 4-0-1 at the Tiger Invitational hosted by then-No. 19 Auburn. They defeated the hosts 8-1 in eight innings and also tied the Tigers. VT also run-ruled Illinois, 18-1 and Belmont 13-1 and edged the Illini, 6-5.
The 2024 USA Today / NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches with one representing each of the NCAA’s Division I Conferences. Results run through Feb. 11. The poll is revealed each Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. ET during the regular season.
2024 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll
February 13
|
Rank |
School (First Place Votes) |
Points |
Record |
Previous Ranking |
|
1 |
Oklahoma (32) |
800 |
4-0 |
1 |
|
2 |
Tennessee |
747 |
3-0 |
2 |
|
3 |
Texas |
720 |
5-0 |
8 |
|
4 |
Georgia |
650 |
5-0 |
6 |
|
5 |
Washington |
629 |
3-1 |
7 |
|
6 |
Oklahoma State |
626 |
5-0 |
9 |
|
7 |
Florida State |
600 |
4-1 |
3 |
|
8 |
Clemson |
569 |
4-1 |
5 |
|
9 |
Stanford |
529 |
3-2 |
3 |
|
10 |
Duke |
497 |
3-1 |
11 |
|
11 |
Alabama |
485 |
5-0 |
12 |
|
12 |
LSU |
460 |
5-0 |
14 |
|
13 |
Utah |
369 |
4-1 |
13 |
|
14 |
Missouri |
313 |
5-0 |
NR |
|
15 |
Arkansas |
299 |
4-1 |
16 |
|
16 |
Florida |
280 |
4-1 |
17 |
|
17 |
Oregon |
261 |
4-2 |
15 |
|
18 |
Kentucky |
259 |
4-1 |
25 |
|
19 |
UCLA |
240 |
2-3 |
10 |
|
20 |
South Carolina |
218 |
5-0 |
23 |
|
21 |
Virginia Tech |
160 |
4-0-1 |
RV |
|
22 |
Northwestern |
128 |
4-1 |
20 |
|
23 |
Louisiana |
96 |
4-1 |
21 |
|
24 |
Baylor |
91 |
0-2 |
22 |
|
25 |
Auburn |
71 |
1-1-1 |
19 |
Receiving Votes: San Diego State (67), Nebraska (62), Texas A&M (55), Indiana (38), Arizona (37), Charlotte (19), California (15), Boston University (4), Boise State (2), Miami (2), Penn State (1), Wichita State (1).
The 2024 USA Today / NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches with one representing each of the NCAA’s Division I Conferences.
The NFCA is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded coaches polls and All-America awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to awards, to in-person events and National Convention.
Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining our lineup of over 7,000 coaches today!
