NFCA | March 5, 2019

College softball rankings: Florida State unanimous No. 1 in USA Today/NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll

Danielle Gibson's historic home run cycle headlines softball's top plays

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Florida State remained undefeated with four wins last week and is the unanimous No. 1 for the first time this season in this week’s USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Seminoles (21-0) captured all 32 first-place votes and 800 points.

Rank	School	Totals	Record	Previous Rank
1	Florida State (32)	800	21-0	1
2	UCLA	764	17-1	2
3	Oklahoma	720	15-2	4
4	Florida	711	21-2	3
5	Alabama	669	20-0	6
6	Washington	646	16-3	5
7	Tennessee	601	16-2	7
8	Georgia	546	18-2	8
9	Texas	525	16-3	9
10	LSU	480	18-4	10
11	Louisiana	449	15-3	11
12	Arizona	431	14-5	12
13	South Carolina	423	17-2	13
14	Arkansas	396	18-3	14
15	Texas Tech	319	17-1	18
16	Arizona State	287	15-6	15
17	Indiana	271	17-2	16
18	Kentucky	247	12-7	17
19	Oklahoma State	207	14-5	21
20	Auburn	199	16-4	22
21	James Madison	163	7-4	19
22	Minnesota	113	11-6	23
23	Wisconsin	86	17-2	NR
24	Oregon	72	11-7	20
25	Michigan	51	9-8	NR

FSU was one of three programs to reach the 20-win plateau last weekend as it extended its winning streak to 27 games. The Noles swept their competition in Orlando, knocking off Toledo, RV Louisiana Tech, Dartmouth and host UCF.

NFCA #NCAASoftball Coaches Poll – March 5

1️⃣ @FSU_Softball
2️⃣ @UCLASoftball
3️⃣ @OU_Softball
4️⃣ @GatorsSB
5️⃣ @AlabamaSB

Full rankings ➡️ https://t.co/caIxuss731 pic.twitter.com/iqCV748h4b
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) March 5, 2019

The top 10 teams remained the same except for a few flip-flopping positions with the most significant movement in the bottom half of the poll as No. 15 Texas Tech (17-1) climbed three spots and No. 24 Oregon (11-7) dropped four positions. Joining for the first time in 2019 in Wisconsin (17-2) at No. 23 and returning after an one-week absence is No. 25 Michigan (9-8), giving the Big Ten four programs in the top 25. The Wolverines (9-8) went 3-0 at the Judi Garman with two top-five wins over No. 2 UCLA and then-No. 5 Washington.

UCLA continued at No. 2 with a 3-1 week, including a 2-1 mark at a weathered-shortened Judi Garman Classic. The Bruins (17-1) knocked off then-No. 3 Florida twice (7-1 / 4-0) and UConn (4-0), but did suffer their first defeat of the season to Michigan (1-3).

MAKING HISTORY: Arkansas' Danielle Gibson records a home run cycle

Moving into the No. 3 spot is Oklahoma (15-2), which defeated then-No. 25 Oregon State (3-0) and No. 11 Louisiana (8-0) at home in another tournament that was cut short due to inclement weather and unseasonably cold weather.

The Gators (21-2) slipped to No. 4 after a 3-2 trip to California in which they picked up three one-run wins, two in extra innings, at the Judi Garman. UF edged New Mexico and then-No. 5 Washington, 1-0 in eight innings and Oregon, 2-1.

Did You Know: Senior @kkatlyn111 leads the nation with 1⃣2⃣ WINS & 1⃣0⃣1⃣ STRIKEOUTS‼️#GoGators 🐊 pic.twitter.com/5K6P4DaPQg
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) March 4, 2019

Alabama inched up to No. 5 and is the only other undefeated team in the Top 25 at 20-0. The Crimson Tide picked up five more wins, at UAB and four at home against Michigan State, Southern Miss twice and St. Francis.

UNDEFEATED: Alabama and Florida State are the only undefeated DI softball teams remaining

The Huskies (16-3) fell to No. 6, going 2-2 at the Judi Garman. UW edged then-No. 22 Auburn 8-6 in nine innings and host Cal State Fullerton, 2-0 but suffered close defeats to Florida and Michigan.

HIGH FIVES: 5 pitchers off to an incredible start this season | 5 teams that could stay unbeaten

Tennessee, Georgia, Texas and LSU round out the top-10 with the Lady Vols (16-2) as the only program who enjoyed an undefeated week. The Bulldogs (18-2) and Tigers (18-4) each suffered one loss, going 4-1 and 5-1, respectively. The Longhorns (16-3) opened their week with four wins – Houston Baptist, Wisconsin, then-No. 15 Arizona State and Princeton – before dropping their final two to the host Sun Devils and Badgers.

The 2019 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference. The records reflect games played through March 3, 2019.

📸 #NCAASoftball Photo of the Week@HofstraSoftball's Lydia Witkowski thought she was lining up for a game against Kennesaw State in her home state of Georgia when she was surprised by her brother, 1LT Charles C. Witkowski, United States Army, who returned home from Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/lHVebNQIxt
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) March 5, 2019

The 2019 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. Record reflect games played through March 3, 2019.