LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Despite suffering its first loss of the season, UCLA remained No. 1 in the 2020 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Bruins (19-1), who dropped an extra-inning affair to Texas, captured 26 first-place votes and 793 points.
After falling 6-4 in eight innings to No. 3 Texas, UCLA posted a 4-0 mark against Mount St. Mary’s, Weber State, San Diego State and San Diego.
DOWN GOES NO. 1: Texas hands UCLA first loss of 2020
New to the top-25 this week are No. 22 UCF, No. 24 Mississippi State and No. 25 Fresno State. The Knights (16-2), who are on an 11-game winning streak, and the 25th-ranked Bulldogs (16-4) return to the poll for the first time since 2016 and 2017, respectively.
On the flip side, Tennessee dropped out of the top-25 for the first time since 2004. The Lady Vols (9-7) entered the NFCA’s Feb. 10 poll at No. 19 and were ranked consecutively in 255 polls.
No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Texas picked up four and two first-place votes, respectively. In the matchup between those two squads, the Longhorns (20-3) edged the Huskies (19-2) 8-6 at the Judi Garman Classic. It was UW’s only defeat at the Garman as it topped then-No. 4 LSU, Fresno State, then-No. 13 Michigan and Cal State Fullerton.
MORE: Washington's all-time lineup
Texas posted a 5-2 week with previously-mentioned triumphs over UCLA and Washington. The Longhorns also defeated Michigan and Boise State at the Garman, while dropping a one-run affair to Fresno State. Prior to heading out west, UT split a home twinbill with then-No. 10 Louisiana.
Following a 5-0 showing, including two wins over host Alabama at the Easton Crimson Classic, Arizona rose to No. 4. The Wildcats (17-3) topped the then-No. 8 Crimson Tide in a pair of one-run contests. They also defeated McNeese State twice and UT Arlington.
LSU fell one spot to No. 5 after a 3-2 outing at the Garman. The Tigers (16-3) picked up wins over then-No 25 Texas Tech, California and Colorado State, but dropped contests against Loyola Marymount and Washington.
No. 6 Oklahoma, No. 7 Florida and No. 9 Alabama each fell one position, while No. 8 Louisiana moved up two spots. The Sooners (15-4) won their Courtyard Marriott Tournament, topping then-RV Northwestern twice and Abilene Christian to go along with a split with RV North Texas.
In a top-10 matchup in Gainesville, the Ragin’ Cajuns (14-5) took two-of-three from the Gators (17-4). UF opened with a 6-0 win before Louisiana stormed back with 7-5 and 7-6 triumphs. The Ragin’ Cajuns also earned a road split earlier in the week at No. 3 Texas.
Kentucky enters the fold at No. 10. The Wildcats (17-3) put on an offensive show, while its pitching staff posted three shutouts at the Spring Games. Matching the program’s best 20-game start, UK scored 66 runs over five games, while allowing just three.
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 March 1 with first-place votes in parentheses.
| RANK | SCHOOL | POINTS | RECORD | PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA (26) | 793 | 19-1 | 1 |
| 2 | Washington (4) | 766 | 19-2 | 2 |
| 3 | Texas (2) | 738 | 20-3 | 3 |
| 4 | Arizona | 675 | 17-3 | 7 |
| 5 | LSU | 649 | 16-3 | 4 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 638 | 15-4 | 5 |
| 7 | Florida | 589 | 17-4 | 6 |
| 8 | Louisiana | 576 | 14-5 | T-10 |
| 9 | Alabama | 493 | 12-7 | 8 |
| 10 | Kentucky | 484 | 17-3 | 12 |
| 11 | Oregon | 461 | 17-2 | T-10 |
| 12 | Florida State | 433 | 10-6 | 9 |
| 13 | Georgia | 398 | 20-4 | 14 |
| 14 | Oklahoma State | 390 | 13-5 | 15 |
| 15 | South Carolina | 303 | 14-4 | 16 |
| 16 | Michigan | 287 | 12-6 | 13 |
| 17 | Arizona State | 281 | 16-6 | 17 |
| 18 | Minnesota | 220 | 12-7 | 18 |
| 19 | Virginia Tech | 198 | 16-4 | 19 |
| 20 | Arkansas | 184 | 16-4 | 22 |
| 21 | Baylor | 170 | 17-4 | 23 |
| 22 | UCF | 139 | 16-2 | NR |
| 23 | Missouri | 111 | 15-6 | 21 |
| 24 | Mississippi State | 78 | 18-3 | NR |
| 25 | Fresno State | 74 | 16-4 | NR |
