Week 7 USA Today/NFCA D1 Top 25 Coaches Poll

National Fastpitch Coaches Association

Contact:  Brian Stanley, Director of Communications, 502-409-4600, [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 26, 2019

UCLA unanimous No. 1 in 2019 USA Today/NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll -Week 7

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – UCLA continues its firm hold on the top spot as the unanimous No. 1 program in this week’s 2019 USA Today / NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll.

The Bruins (27-1), who collected all 32 first-place votes and 800 points, extended their winning streak to 11 games with run-rule wins over Saint Mary’s (9-1) and CSUN (14-2) on Sunday in Northridge, Calif.

There was little movement in the top 10 as the first eight spots remained the same with Texas and Louisiana, switching the No. 9 and 10 positions. Joining the poll this week at No. 24 is a streaking Virginia Tech squad, which has won 10 straight and 16 of their last 17 games. The Hokies (27-4) are ranked in the poll for the first time since March 19, 2013.

No. 2 and No. 3 Florida State went a combined 9-0 last week. The Sooners (29-2) are rolling, topping North Texas and sweeping its Big 12-opening series at then-No. 14 Texas Tech. OU has won 19 straight this season and extended its conference winning streak to 28 contests. The Seminoles (32-3) scored at least eight runs in all five wins last week, including a ACC sweep of North Carolina State.

The last remaining undefeated team, No. 4 Alabama, suffered its first defeat of the season on the road in College Station, Texas. The Crimson Tide (33-1) picked up back-to-back 10-run wins over Texas A&M before suffering a 4-3 walk-off defeat in the SEC-series finale.

No. 5 Tennessee posted a 4-1 week, earning two non-conference shutouts at Liberty and at North Carolina before picking up an SEC-series win over then No. 14 Arkansas. No. 6 Florida defeated then-No. 20 Minnesota and took two from Mercer in non-conference action, while No. 7 Washington opened its Pac-12 series with 6-3 and 14-2 triumphs at Oregon.

No. 8 LSU had a big weekend sweeping No. 12 Georgia in SEC play. After a mid-week win over Lamar, the Tigers (27-6) plated 24 runs in their first sweep of the Bulldogs in Athens since 2001.

Texas leapfrogged Louisiana for the No. 9 spot following a 4-0 week. The Longhorns knocked off Lipscomb on the road before returning home for a Big 12 sweep of Iowa State. The Ragin’ Cajuns (26-4) suffered a mid-week defeat against McNeese State at home, but rebounded in a big way, trumping South Alabama on the road by a combined score of 35-9 in a Sun Belt sweep.

Dropping out of the poll for the first time since week one was then-No. 22 Indiana.

The 2019 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference. The records reflect games played through March 24, 2019.

2019 USA Today / NFCA Division I
Top 25 Coaches Poll – March 26 (Week 7)

New to Poll: No. 24 Virginia Tech

Dropped Out: No. 22 Indiana (25-9)

Receiving Votes: Northwestern (42), Illinois (37), Stanford (32), Colorado State (24), Indiana (22), Missouri (22), Ohio State (22), Boise State (15), Notre Dame (5), Tulsa (5), Grand Canyon (3), Elon (1), Mississippi State (1).

The 2019 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. Record reflect games played through March 24, 2019.