LOUISVILLE, Ky. — UCLA continued as the No. 1 team in the 2020 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Bruins (15-0), who put forth an undefeated effort at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, received 31 of a possible 32 first-place votes and 799 points.
UCLA walked off with extra-inning wins over RV Wisconsin (3-1) and then-No. 7 Florida (5-4), while posting run-rule triumphs over Texas A&M and then-RV Auburn.
No. 2 Washington also enjoyed an unblemished record at the Mary Nutter. The Huskies (15-1) topped Wisconsin (5-3), Bethune-Cookman (8-1), then-No. 3 Oklahoma (12-2), Nebraska (10-2) and then-No. 25 Northwestern (3-2).
No. 3 Texas and No. 4 LSU leapfrogged Oklahoma. The Longhorns (15-1) and Tigers (13-1) combined to go 10-1 in their respective friendly confines. Texas edged RV North Texas 3-2 in nine innings, before posting a 4-1 record at its Texas Invitational. The Longhorns defeated Lipscomb twice, North Dakota State and Weber State, but did drop its first game of 2020, 1-0 to Duke.
LSU cruised to five wins last week, posting four shutouts and four run-rule victories. The weekend was capped off by Maribeth Gorsuch’s perfect game in a 4-0 win over Belmont, the first seven-inning perfecto in program history.
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The Sooners (11-3) opened the Nutter with wins over Nebraska, Texas A&M and Seattle before dropping their final two of the weekend to Washington and Wisconsin.
No. 6 Florida moved up one spot after a 5-1 week. Following a mid-week win over Jacksonville, the Gators (16-2) put forth a very strong showing at the Nutter. UF struck down three nationally-ranked programs in then-No. 5 Arizona (3-2), Northwestern and then-No. 16 Arizona State, before suffering a tough 5-4 defeat to UCLA in eight innings.
Arizona fell two positions to No. 7 after a 3-2 weekend at the Nutter. The Wildcats (12-3) topped then-No. 18 Missouri, San Diego State and Auburn, but fell to Texas A&M and Florida. No. 8 Alabama cruised to a 5-0 mark at its Easton Bama Bash, with four run-rule victories and two shutouts.
No. 9 Florida State was idle, while Louisiana and Oregon came in tied for the 10thspot. The Ragin Cajuns (11-3) went 4-1 at the UAB Blazer Classic. After an opening loss to then-No. 14 Oklahoma State, Louisiana rebounded with wins over the Cowgirls, Ole Miss (2) and host UAB. The undefeated Ducks (14-0) continue their rise up the poll following a 5-0 showing at the Nutter. Oregon posted triumphs over Bethune-Cookman, RV Mississippi State, RV Notre Dame, Idaho State and Northwestern.
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Red-hot Baylor has won 11 straight, all at home, to bring its mark to 13-2 on the year and a No. 23 ranking. Northwestern fell out of the poll.
The 2020 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. 23 with first-place votes in parentheses.
| RANK | SCHOOL | POINTS | RECORD | PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA (31) | 799 | 15-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Washington (1) | 765 | 15-1 | 2 |
| 3 | Texas | 689 | 15-1 | 4 |
| 4 | LSU | 672 | 13-1 | 6 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 668 | 11-3 | 3 |
| 6 | Florida | 667 | 16-2 | 7 |
| 7 | Arizona | 592 | 12-3 | 5 |
| 8 | Alabama | 520 | 9-5 | 10 |
| 9 | Florida State | 509 | 7-4 | 9 |
| 10 | Louisiana | 491 | 11-3 | 11 |
| 10 | Oregon | 491 | 14-0 | 15 |
| 12 | Kentucky | 418 | 12-3 | 13 |
| 13 | Michigan | 392 | 10-3 | 8 |
| 14 | Georgia | 350 | 14-3 | 19 |
| 15 | Oklahoma State | 338 | 8-5 | 14 |
| 16 | South Carolina | 252 | 10-3 | 22 |
| 17 | Arizona State | 222 | 12-5 | 16 |
| 18 | Minnesota | 208 | 8-6 | 17 |
| 19 | Virginia Tech | 189 | 12-3 | 24 |
| 20 | Tennessee | 158 | 7-6 | 12 |
| 21 | Missouri | 151 | 12-5 | 18 |
| 22 | Arkansas | 150 | 12-2 | 23 |
| 23 | Baylor | 141 | 13-2 | NR |
| 24 | James Madison | 123 | 6-3 | 21 |
| 25 | Texas Tech | 122 | 10-5 | 20 |
New to Poll: No. 23 Baylor
Dropped Out: No. 25 Northwestern (5-9)
Receiving Votes: UCF (96), Fresno State (39), Mississippi State (38), North Texas (34), Duke (25), Utah (22), Houston (15), Oregon State (13), Wisconsin (10), Stanford (8), Northwestern (6), Notre Dame (6), San Jose State (4), Tulsa (3), BYU (2), North Carolina (2).
