UCLA softball stays on top of NFCA poll as Ole Miss cracks the top 25

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Following a Pac-12 series-opening sweep of Washington, UCLA strengthened its hold on No. 1 in this week’s 2019 USA Today / NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Bruins (25-1) collected all but one of the 32 first-place votes and 799 points.

UCLA opened the series with a pair of late-inning wins, 3-0 and 4-2 (8), before scoring a season-high in runs with a 15-6 victory over the Huskies (22-6) in the series finale.

.@UCLASoftball (25-1) strengthens hold on No. 1 in this week's @USATODAY / NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll #NFCAD1Poll https://t.co/o1wuPpkUbm pic.twitter.com/Fn28SMtsCk

— NFCA (@NFCAorg) March 19, 2019

No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida State, and No. 4 Alabama remained in their respective spots. The Sooners (25-2) outscored their opposition, 58-2, posting shutouts against Loyola Marymount, Dartmouth, and CSUN.

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The Seminoles (27-3) received the other first-place vote after capturing their ACC-opening series against RV Notre Dame. FSU defeated the Irish in games one (11-1) and three (5-0), but dropped a 7-4 decision in game two.

The Crimson Tide (31-0) continued to roll picking up six more victories in Hawai’i. Alabama is the first NCAA program to reach the 30-win mark in 2019 and remains the only undefeated squad in the poll.

Tennessee and Florida moved past No. 7 Washington for the No. 5 and 6 positions. The Lady Vols (22-4) enjoyed a 4-1 week, which included two wins over BYU and a split with then-No. 11 Texas at home. The Gators (24-5) knocked off UCF and split the first two games of their SEC series at then-No. 9 LSU.

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Rounding out the final three top-10 spots are No. 8 LSU, No. 9 Louisiana and No. 10 Texas. The Tigers (23-6) were 2-1 last week, defeating Troy, along with their at home split with Florida. The Ragin’ Cajuns (23-3) finished 5-0 last week, knocking off RV Baylor, Nicholls State and sweeping Troy in their Sun Belt-opening series. The Longhorns (25-6) went 4-1 with wins over Texas A&M Corpus Christi, BYU (2) and then-No. 6 Tennessee.

A red-hot Ole Miss squad enters this week’s poll at No. 24. The Rebels (21-7) have won seven straight and 13 of their last 14 contests, including triumphs over then-No. 14 Arkansas (2) and then-No. 18 Oklahoma State (2).

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 17, 2019.