LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Florida State climbed into the top five for the first time this season, while Oregon, Oklahoma and Tennessee all moved up in this week’s USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll.
Florida and Michigan continued as the top two teams, taking home 24 and eight first-place votes, respectively. The Gators (47-4) hit the road and took two-of-three at then-No. 18 Texas A&M in SEC action. UF cruised to a 14-3 game-one win and topped the Aggies 7-3 in game two before suffering a 6-4 defeat in the finale. The Wolverines (41-4) swept their opponents last week, defeating in-state foe Central Michigan (5-2) at home, while taking all three Big Ten contests from Penn State (4-2, 12-0, 13-3) in Happy Valley.
Oregon, Florida State and Oklahoma all jumped two spots in the top-10, while Tennessee catapulted from 13th into 10th. All four squads did not drop a contest with the No. 3 Ducks (38-6) and Vols (37-12) defeating ranked foes.
Behind dominant pitching performances from Cheridan Hawkins and Megan Kleist, Oregon blanked then-No. 17 Arizona (2-0, 7-0, 8-0) in Pac-12 play. It marked the first time, the Ducks shut out a Pac-12 opponent in a series since the league went to the current scheduling format in 2010.
On the other side of the table, UT throttled then-No. 3 Auburn in a doubleheader by a combined score of 22-3 (10-2, 12-1). The Vols (38-12) recorded 18 hits, and since their 9-0 defeat to Oklahoma have posted 40 runs the last four games.
The Seminoles (42-5) posted four wins last week to reach the 40-win plateau and also claim their 14th ACC regular season championship. FSU topped in-state foe UCF (7-1) in mid-week action before traveling to Pitt and sweeping the Panthers (16-11, 4-3, 15-5) to earn the title.
The Sooners (41-7) also swept their conference weekend earning three wins at Iowa State (4-2, 8-1, 12-1) to reach 40 wins and extend their winning streak to 16 games.
No. 4 Alabama stayed put after a 2-1 SEC series win at South Carolina (3-1, 1-2, 5-1 in 5), while Auburn (45-7) fell three spots to No. 6 after losing twice to Tennessee. James Madison (41-4) went from No. 6 to No. 8 after splitting with Elon (4-5 in 15, 8-1) in league play and Louisiana-Lafayette (37-7) dropped to No. 9 after a 2-1 SunBelt series win at Georgia Southern (5-0, 12-1, 0-2).
No. 25 UCF returned to the poll after a pair of wins at then-No. 22 USF in American Athletic Conference play. Cal-State Fullerton dropped out after two losses to Long Beach State.
The USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference. Records reflect games played through May 1, 2016.
2016 USA Today/NFCA Division I Softball Coaches Poll
Week 12 | May 3, 2016 (Results through 5/1)
| Rank | Team | Totals | 2016 Record | Last Poll |
| 1 | Florida (24) | 792 | 47-4 | 1 |
| 2 | Michigan (8) | 776 | 41-4 | 2 |
| 3 | Oregon | 718 | 38-6 | 5 |
| 4 | Alabama | 674 | 43-10 | 4 |
| 5 | Florida State | 661 | 42-5 | 7 |
| 6 | Auburn | 651 | 45-7 | 3 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | 587 | 41-7 | 9 |
| 8 | James Madison | 567 | 41-4 | 6 |
| 9 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 541 | 37-7 | 8 |
| 10 | Tennessee | 529 | 38-12 | 13 |
| 11 | Washington | 471 | 32-11 | 10 |
| 12 | Kentucky | 464 | 40-11 | 11 |
| 13 | LSU | 428 | 40-13 | 12 |
| 14 | UCLA | 379 | 33-13-1 | 15 |
| 15 | Georgia | 351 | 39-14 | 14 |
| 16 | Missouri | 322 | 37-12 | 16 |
| 17 | Texas A&M | 257 | 35-16 | 18 |
| 18 | Arizona | 225 | 32-17 | 17 |
| 19 | Notre Dame | 218 | 37-9 | 19 |
| 20 | Fresno State | 209 | 37-9-1 | 20 |
| 21 | Baylor | 185 | 43-12 | 21 |
| 22 | Florida Atlantic | 140 | 44-7 | 23 |
| 23 | Minnesota | 118 | 35-12 | 24 |
| 24 | USF | 72 | 43-13 | 22 |
| 25 | UCF | 24 | 31-16 | RV |
Dropped Out: No. 25 Cal State Fullerton
New to Poll: UCF
Receiving Votes: Utah (16), Cal State Fullerton (10), Texas (7), Nebraska (5), Arizona State (1), Long Beach State (1), Ohio State (1).
The USA Today/NFCA Division I Softball Coaches Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference.
