LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The top-10 saw some shuffling, but Washington did not budge as it tightened its grip on the No. 1 spot in this week’s USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll. After a 4-0 week, the Huskies (39-2) brought their winning streak to 10 games and were one vote shy of being the unanimous No. 1 squad. UW collected 31 of a possible 32 first-place votes and 799 points.
With a 3-1 mid-week win over Seattle University, Washington finished undefeated (29-0) in non-conference play for the first time in program history. Additionally, the Huskies swept Utah in Pac-12 play behind a pitching staff that allowed just one run and three hits over 19 innings, including a perfect game by Gabbie Plain.
Oklahoma stayed in the No. 2 hole after two Big 12 victories over Iowa State (8-1, 9-5). The Sooners (33-2), who earned the other first-place vote and 766 points, have won 24 straight after those two wins and hold NCAA Division I’s longest active winning streak.
Oregon shifted up two positions to No. 3 after a dominant week. The Ducks (32-6) went 5-0 defeating Portland State (8-2, 3-0) twice and overpowering Arizona (5-2, 8-0, 10-0) in a Pac-12 series sweep. After the opening win, UO’s Miranda Elish and Megan Kleist twirled back-to-back six-inning shutouts, limiting the Wildcats (27-9) to three hits and one hit, respectively. Elish also tossed the program’s first seven-inning perfect game earlier in the week against the Vikings.
UCLA fell one spot to No. 4 and Georgia moved up one to No. 5. The Bruins (34-3) went 3-1 against CSUN (8-3) and Stanford (5-2, 3-0, 1-4). The Bulldogs (35-5) recorded a 4-1 mark, topping then-No. 8 Tennessee (8-0) and Georgia Tech (1-0), and taking two-of-three from Missouri (8-6, 1-5, 7-2).
Florida fell to No. 6 as it suffered two defeats on the week. The Gators (33-6) win at No. 15 Alabama (6-1) was sandwiched around defeats to UCF (0-1) and the Crimson Tide (2-3).
Arizona State remained steady at No. 7 taking two of three from RV Oregon State. Auburn improved three spots to No. 8 following a 3-1 week that included two shutout wins over then-No. 8 Tennessee. No. 9 Texas A&M took two-of-three at then-No. 22 Mississippi State, while the Lady Vols (33-8) dipped to No. 10 after a 2-3 week.
The 2018 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 April 8.
2018 USA Today / NFCA Division I
Top 25 Coaches Poll – April 10 (Week 9)
|
Rank |
School |
Totals |
2018 |
Last Poll |
|
1 |
Washington (31) |
799 |
39-2 |
1 |
|
2 |
Oklahoma (1) |
766 |
33-2 |
2 |
|
3 |
Oregon |
721 |
32-6 |
5 |
|
4 |
UCLA |
708 |
34-3 |
3 |
|
5 |
Georgia |
658 |
35-5 |
6 |
|
6 |
Florida |
652 |
33-6 |
4 |
|
7 |
Arizona State |
611 |
33-5 |
7 |
|
8 |
Auburn |
547 |
36-8 |
11 |
|
9 |
Texas A&M |
518 |
34-9 |
10 |
|
10 |
Tennessee |
476 |
33-8 |
8 |
|
11 |
South Carolina |
465 |
33-7 |
12 |
|
12 |
Arizona |
447 |
27-9 |
9 |
|
13 |
Florida State |
423 |
33-7 |
13 |
|
14 |
LSU |
396 |
32-7 |
14 |
|
15 |
Alabama |
339 |
25-10 |
15 |
|
16 |
Baylor |
321 |
24-9 |
16 |
|
17 |
Michigan |
298 |
31-7 |
17 |
|
18 |
Long Beach State |
284 |
32-7 |
18 |
|
19 |
Arkansas |
176 |
29-8 |
20 |
|
20 |
Kentucky |
172 |
24-11 |
21 |
|
21 |
Louisiana |
135 |
25-10 |
19 |
|
22 |
Ohio State |
109 |
24-8 |
23 |
|
23 |
Mississippi State |
87 |
29-11 |
22 |
|
24 |
Texas State |
80 |
29-8 |
25 |
|
25 |
California |
63 |
26-11 |
24 |
New to Poll: None
Dropped Out: None
Receiving Votes: Hofstra (43), James Madison (26), Oklahoma State (20), Kennesaw State (18), Ole Miss (18), San Jose State (13), Oregon State (6), Tulsa (3), Wichita State (2).
The 2018 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. Records reflect play through April 8, 2018
