LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Oklahoma, coming off a convincing three-game sweep of then-No. 7 Texas, entered its eighth straight week at No. 1 in the 2021 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll. With the trifecta of run-rule victories, the Sooners (33-0) extended their win streak to 40 games.
OU’s return to Big 12 play saw it outscore the Longhorns (31-6) 30-3 and launch nine more home runs, bringing its season total to 102. The Sooners also extended their Big 12 win streak to 52 games and league series streak to 57. They have not lost a league game since 2017 and a series since 2011.
Unanimous No. 2 UCLA (25-2) posted a three-game sweep of Oregon State. Four different Bruin pitchers, highlighted by a Rachel Garcia no-hitter, held the Beavers to no runs and just three hits over 21 innings.
No. 3 Florida and No. 4 Washington each won their respective conference series and moved up two positions in the rankings, while the teams that they defeated, No. 5 Alabama and No. 6 Oregon, dropped two spots. The Gators (32-6) bounced back from a mid-week defeat to then-No. 23 UCF and took two-of-three from the Crimson Tide (33-7) in Tuscaloosa. The Huskies (34-6) captured three-of-four from the Ducks (28-8) at home, taking all three Pac-12 contests.
Florida State and Arkansas swept through conference play last weekend. The Seminoles (31-6) won their fourth straight Atlantic Conference Coast series with four triumphs at Syracuse, extending their win streak to 15 games. The Razorbacks knocked off then-No. 20 Georgia with three victories over the Bulldogs (27-11) in Athens.
No. 9 Texas and No. 10 Arizona dipped two spots each after falling in their respective league series on the road. The Longhorns were defeated by the top-ranked Sooners, while the Wildcats (27-8) dropped three-of-four to the new-No. 12 ranked Arizona State Sun Devils (28-11).
Making an appearance for the first time in 2021 is James Madison, tying UCF at No. 25. The Dukes (22-1) pushed their win streak to 12 with a Colonial Athletic Association sweep of Elon last week.
Highlighting this upcoming week’s schedule is a top-four Pac-12 matchup in Los Angeles, featuring the second-ranked Bruins and the fourth-ranked Huskies. In non-conference head-to-heads, No. 1 Oklahoma travels east today, April 20, for a doubleheader at No. 21 Georgia, and No. 13 Louisiana heads to Tuscaloosa this weekend for two contests against No. 5 Alabama.
The 2021 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 April 18. Programs not competing in 2021 will not be eligible for ranking consideration.
| Rank | school | points | record | Last week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma (32) | 800 | 33-0 | 1 |
| 2 | UCLA | 768 | 25-2 | 2 |
| 3 | Florida | 717 | 32-6 | 5 |
| 4 | Washington | 692 | 34-6 | 6 |
| 5 | Alabama | 673 | 33-7 | 3 |
| 6 | Oregon | 613 | 28-8 | 4 |
| 7 | Florida State | 597 | 31-6 | 9 |
| 8 | Arkansas | 564 | 36-5 | 10 |
| 9 | Texas | 544 | 31-6 | 7 |
| 10 | Arizona | 503 | 27-8 | 8 |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | 487 | 35-5 | 11 |
| 12 | Arizona State | 472 | 28-11 | 13 |
| 13 | Louisiana | 371 | 34-7 | 14 |
| 14 | Kentucky | 359 | 30-10 | 12 |
| 15 | Virginia Tech | 351 | 28-7 | 15 |
| 16 | Clemson | 331 | 32-4 | 17 |
| 17 | LSU | 303 | 26-14 | 16 |
| 18 | Missouri | 243 | 32-10 | 18 |
| 19 | Tennessee | 226 | 32-7 | 19 |
| 20 | Michigan | 164 | 21-4 | 22 |
| 21 | Georgia | 148 | 27-11 | 20 |
| 22 | Duke | 117 | 30-10 | 21 |
| 23 | Wichita State | 114 | 32-5-1 | 25 |
| 24 | Minnesota | 87 | 22-6 | 24 |
| T25 | James Madison | 41 | 22-1 | NR |
| T25 | UCF | 41 | 30-12-1 | 23 |
New to Poll: t-No. 25 James Madison
Dropped Out: None.
Receiving Votes: Auburn (23), Fresno State (12), Northwestern (11), Miami University (10), Texas state (9), Liberty (4), BYU (2), Western Kentucky (2), Ole Miss (1).
The 2021 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. Records reflect games played through April 18.
*Programs not competing in 2021 will not be eligible for ranking consideration.
