LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Following an 8-0 week, Washington extended its hold on No. 1 in this week’s USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Huskies (18-0) received 29 first-place votes and 794 points as the top four spots remained the same.
UW opened its week with three road wins in the Lone Star State and continued with a perfect showing at the Mary Nutter Classic. The Huskies knocked off then-RV Notre Dame, then-No. 6 Texas A&M, RV Nebraska, Wisconsin and new No. 22 Long Beach State.
The final out. The 10th strikeout.
— Washington Softball (@UWSoftball) February 25, 2018
Alvelo helps No. 1 Washington remain perfect at 18-0! #GoHuskies pic.twitter.com/o8GG2sC6Z5
Florida, which received one first-place vote, edged out UCLA for the No. 2 spot by five points. The Gators (16-1) also went 8-0, notching all their victories at home. UF’s pitching staff posted five shutouts and limited their opponents to five runs. The third-ranked Bruins (15-0) also stayed undefeated and captured the final two first-place votes. UCLA capped off the Mary Nutter I with a 7-6 win over Grand Canyon before a perfect 5-0 showing at the Mary Nutter II, which included wins over RV Nebraska and then-No. 7 LSU.
No. 4 Oklahoma went 3-1 at the Mary Nutter. The Sooners (9-2) knocked off then-No. 17 Arizona State, BYU and North Carolina before dropping their closer to then-No. 13 Arizona.
After a 6-0 week at the Mary Nutter Classic, Tennessee catapulted six spots to No. 5. The Lady Vols (16-1) outscored their opponents, 42-5 and picked up two wins over Pac-12 foes, then-No. 5 Oregon and Oregon State.
The Mary Nutter Classic is a wrap The Big Orange leaves the tournament - including a win over #5/2 Oregon! #GBO pic.twitter.com/mGmhnwdzZr
— Tennessee Softball (@Vol_Softball) February 25, 2018
No. 6 Oregon and No. 7 Texas A&M slipped a spot each, while undefeated Baylor remained at No. 8. The Ducks (12-3) and Aggies (12-2) each went 3-2 at the Mary Nutter, with Texas A&M earning a 3-1 win over Oregon. The Ducks loaded schedule included wins over then-No. 18 Oklahoma State and then-No. 7 LSU and a 1-0 loss to Tennessee.
Along with the win over the Ducks, the Aggies knocked off then-RV Notre Dame and then-No. 19 California. After its tournament was canceled, Baylor picked up two road wins at Abilene Christian to remain perfect at 9-0.
Arizona returned to the top-10 at No. 9. The Wildcats (13-1) were a perfect 5-0 at the Mary Nutter and capped off the weekend with a 2-0 win over No. 4 Oklahoma. Rounding out the top 10 is LSU, which fell to the No. 10 position after a 4-2 week. The Tigers (14-2) won their first four games of the week, but closed out with losses to UCLA and Oregon.
This weekend in Palm Springs:
— Arizona Softball (@ArizonaSoftball) February 25, 2018
• - (1st undefeated weekend at the @NutterClassic since 2010)
• Handed #4 Oklahoma its 1st shutout in over a year
• @taybeezzyyy went 4-0 with a save & 3 1-hit shutouts
• @lysssscat32 hit .600 w/ 2
• @jesss_harperr hit .444 with 7 RBI pic.twitter.com/nrw9iqp9fD
Making its first appearance this season is Long Beach State (12-3) at No. 22, while No. 23 McNeese State (13-3) returns after a one-week absence. Dropping out are then-No. 18 Oklahoma State and then-No. 24 Utah.
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 Feb. 25.
