College Softball Rankings: ESPN, USA Softball release updated top 25 after Week 4

It’s time for another edition of ESPN and USA Softball’s top 25 rankings. It was an action-packed Week 4 across the country, and there are some changes to the top 25 this week.

For some teams, this past weekend marked the beginning of conference play. For others, they’ll kick off that portion of their schedules this week.

With four full weeks now in the books, the top teams have begun to separate themselves from the rest. Still, there’s a ton of good teams out there, and the rankings reflect that.

There’s no change at the top this week, but ESPN/USA Softball still had some movement in this week’s top 25 rankings. Here’s how the full poll shook out.

1. Tennessee (24 first-place votes)

Previous Ranking: No. 1
Weekly Record: 5-0
Overall Record: 19-0

Tennessee just keeps rolling, and exits Week 4 as one of the last remaining undefeated teams. This week, the Vols hosted the Tennessee Invitational and cruised their way to a 5-0 weekend. They beat Appalachian State 9-1 and 6-2, Penn State 4-1 and 3-1 and NC Central 8-0. And to no surprise, they remain atop this week’s college softball rankings.

2. Texas Tech

Previous Ranking: No. 2
Weekly Record: 6-0
Overall Record: 22-1

Texas Tech hosted the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic this weekend, and it was a dominant showing. The Red Raiders beat Abilene Christian 24-0, North Texas 10-2 and 7-2, Texas A&M Corpus Christi 18-0 and 24-1, and Detroit Mercy 9-0. That’s an overall weekend score of 92-5. Pretty good.

3. Texas (1)

Previous Ranking: No. 3
Weekly Record: 6-0
Overall Record: 19-1

After a 7-2 midweek win against SE Louisiana on Wednesday, Texas hosted the Longhorn Invitational over the weekend. It was a pretty smooth weekend, beating Houston 9-1, St. Bonaventure 12-2, Prairie View A&M 8-0 and UIW 8-0 as well. 37-3 in four games on the weekend is pretty impressive.

4. Oklahoma

Previous Ranking: No. 5 (+1)
Weekly Record: 6-0
Overall Record: 19-2

It’s safe to say the Oklahoma offense was working this weekend. The Sooners played a trio of opponents, beating Alabama State 32-0, 23-3 and 29-6, Sam Houston State 13-3 and 10-2, and SE Louisiana 9-1. That’s a total weekend score of 116-15 across six games. The Sooners are off to a strong 19-2 start to the season.

5. Nebraska

Previous Ranking: No. 4 (-1)
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 14-5

Nebraska spent its weekend in Stillwater and Tulsa, playing in the OU/Tulsa Invitational. The Huskers started off with a 2-1, 11-innings loss to another team ranked in ESPN/USA Softball’s top 25 rankings in No. 16 Oklahoma State, but responded with an 8-1 win over South Dakota State and a 9-1 win against Tulsa. The Cornhuskers got a rematch with Oklahoma State on Saturday, winning 4-3. The third game between the two teams was canceled on Sunday.

6. Alabama

Previous Ranking: No. 7 (+1)
Weekly Record: 7-0
Overall Record: 20-0

It was a busy week for Alabama with seven games in as many days, but it handled business and further solidified its spot in ESPN/USA Softball’s top 25 rankings. The Crimson Tide beat UAB on Tuesday before hosting the T-Mobile Crimson Classic over the weekend. There, Alabama beat St. Thomas 2-0 and 7-0, USF 8-0 and 8-0, Kent State 8-1 and Oakland 8-1.

7. UCLA

Previous Ranking: No. 9 (+2)
Weekly Record: 5-0
Overall Record: 18-3

UCLA was in the Judi Garman Classic over the weekend, where it enjoyed a perfect 5-0 showing. The Bruins started with a 14-0 win over East Texas A&M before defeating No. 6 Florida 15-12. UCLA then rounded out the weekend with a 13-8 win over BYU, a 16-10 win against Seattle U, and a 13-3 win against Oregon State. UCLA has solidified itself in the top 10 of ESPN/USA Softball’s top 25 rankings.

8. Florida

Previous Ranking: No. 6 (-2)
Weekly Record: 4-1
Overall Record: 23-1

Florida was in California for the Judi Garman Classic this weekend, and started off with a pair of wins, 8-0 against California and 28-0 against East Texas A&M. The Gators battled No. 9 UCLA on Friday, falling 15-12 before bouncing back later in the day with a 7-5 win over LMU. Florida defeated Oregon State 21-1 to end the weekend.

9. Arkansas

Previous Ranking: No. 8 (-1)
Weekly Record: 6-0
Overall Record: 19-1

Arkansas played in the Woo Pig Classic this weekend in Fayetteville and came away unscathed. The Razorbacks went 6-0, defeating Omaha 10-2 and 4-2, Boise State 10-1, Charlotte 14-3 and 9-0 and Kansas 11-3. That’s a strong showing.

10. Florida State

Previous Ranking: No. 10
Weekly Record: 5-0
Overall Record: 17-4

After a 14-0 midweek win against Florida A&M, Florida State hosted the Unconquered Invitational in Tallahassee over the weekend. There, the Seminoles started with a pair of wings over Florida Gulf Coast, 12-3 and 5-3 before ending with a pair of wins over Rutgers, 2-0 and 5-1. That ended a perfect 5-0 week, improving to 17-4 overall.

ESPN, USA Softball Top 25 Rankings: 11-25

11. Virginia Tech (+1)
T-12. Georgia (-1)
T-12. Oklahoma State (+4)
14. Arizona
15. Texas A&M
16. LSU (+1)
17. Mississippi State (+2)
18. Oregon (-1)
19. Stanford (-6)
20. Virginia (+1)
21. Arizona State (+2)
22. Washington (+2)
23. Grand Canyon (+2)
24. South Carolina (-2)
25. Duke (-5)

Others Receiving Votes in ESPN/USA Softball Top 25 Rankings:  UCF (33), Penn State (18), Clemson (17), North Carolina (12), Texas State (11), Belmont (9), Auburn (8), Ole Miss (7), Louisville (6), Boston U (4), Kentucky (4), Michigan (3), Cal State Fullerton (2), Indiana (1), Northwestern (1)