LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Oklahoma continues as the unanimous No. 1 team in the 2023 USA Today/NFCA Division I Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll. No. 23 Maryland and No. 25 Michigan enter the poll this week with the Terrapins ranked for the first time since March 11, 2008.
The Sooners (5-0), No. 1 for the 31st straight poll, posted a perfect mark at the Mark Campbell Collegiate Invitational, knocking off three top-25 teams in then-No. 24 Washington (5-4), No. 16 Duke (4-0) and then-No. 17 Stanford (10-1), to go along with an extra-inning triumph over Liberty (1-0 8 inn.) and San Jose State (9-0).
OU is one of seven undefeated team in the top 10. No. 2 UCLA registered six wins hosting the Stacy Winsberg Tournament. The Bruins (6-0) posted four shutouts as they topped Cal State Fullerton (3-0), Cal State Bakersfield (18-1 & 8-0), Loyola Marymount (11-0) and San Diego (14-0 & 5-2).
No. 3 Florida and No. 4 Arkansas went 3-0 and 5-0 to leap frog No. 5 Oklahoma State. The Gators outscored its opposition 41-2, while the Razorbacks produced 51 runs at UNLV’s Rebel Kickoff. The Cowgirls (3-1) defeated No. 24 Oregon (3-0), North Carolina (3-2) and Ole Miss (3-0) and suffered a setback against Maryland (11-6).
No. 6 Florida State (4-1) dropped a spot to No. 6, while Clemson (5-0) and Virginia Tech (5-0) each rose three positions to No. 7 and 8. Texas dipped three spots to No. 9 after a 2-1-1 outing at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic. The Longhorns thumped RV Missouri (11-1) and Illinois (7-0), fell to then-No. 14 Northwestern (10-9) and tied new-No. 17 Kentucky.
Arizona improved to No. 10 after it exploded for 63 runs and posted a perfect 5-0 mark hosting the Candrea Classic.
The Terrapins, who were last ranked 23rd in 2008, opened 2023 4-1 with big wins over then-No. 3 Oklahoma State (11-6 )and then-No. 22 Oregon (7-3) at the Puerto Vallarta Challenge They also knocked off BYU (10-2) and North Dakota State (4-2) and fell to Cal Baptist (1-0).
The 2023 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll Committee. The committee is comprised of 32 NCAA Division I head coaches with one representing each of the NCAA’s Division I Conferences. The poll will be published weekly on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. ET.
2023 USA Today / NFCA Division I Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll
February 14 (Week 1)
|
Rank |
School (First Place Votes) |
Points |
2023 Record |
Last Week’s Ranking |
|
1 |
Oklahoma (32) |
800 |
5-0 |
1 |
|
2 |
UCLA |
767 |
6-0 |
2 |
|
3 |
Florida |
713 |
3-0 |
4 |
|
4 |
Arkansas |
667 |
5-0 |
7 |
|
5 |
Oklahoma State |
642 |
3-1 |
3 |
|
6 |
Florida State |
564 |
4-1 |
5 |
|
7 |
Clemson |
557 |
5-0 |
10 |
|
8 |
Virginia Tech |
510 |
5-0 |
11 |
|
9 |
Texas |
508 |
2-1-1 |
6 |
|
10 |
Arizona |
490 |
5-0 |
12 |
|
11 |
Tennessee |
480 |
3-0 |
13 |
|
12 |
Washington |
476 |
4-1 |
14 |
|
13 |
Georgia |
469 |
5-0 |
15 |
|
14 |
Northwestern |
420 |
2-2 |
8 |
|
15 |
Alabama |
357 |
2-1 |
9 |
|
16 |
Duke |
289 |
3-2 |
16 |
|
17 |
Kentucky |
267 |
2-0-1 |
20 |
|
18 |
LSU |
242 |
5-0 |
25 |
|
19 |
Stanford |
237 |
3-2 |
17 |
|
20 |
UCF |
229 |
3-1 |
18 |
|
21 |
Auburn |
158 |
4-1 |
21 |
|
22 |
Arizona State |
112 |
4-1 |
22 |
|
23 |
Maryland |
92 |
4-1 |
NR |
|
24 |
Oregon |
60 |
3-2 |
24 |
|
25 |
Michigan |
54 |
4-1 |
RV |
New To Poll: No. 23 Maryland, No. 25 Michigan
Dropped Out: No. 19 Oregon State, No. 23 Mississippi State
Receiving Votes: Missouri (45), Louisiana (37), North Texas (29), Mississippi State (27), Oregon State (22), Notre Dame (21), Nebraska (19), San Diego State (12), Baylor (11), Ole Miss (8), Wichita State (4), Utah (3), Liberty (1), Louisville (1).
The 2023 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.
Celebrating 40 years in 2023, 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.
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