2021 D1Softball Preseason Top 25 Rankings
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Fresh off a dominant showing in 2020, UCLA headlines the 2021 D1Softball Preseason Top 25 Rankings as the top-ranked team in the land.
The Bruins return their entire starting lineup with two future Olympians – Rachel Garcia and Bubba Nickles — returning to the diamond.
Oklahoma checks in at No. 2. Patty Gasso likes her squad because almost every position is two or three deep. The No. 3 and No. 4 slots belong to two Pac-12 powerhouses – Washington and Arizona – who return numerous All-Americans in their ‘super senior’ class. LSU rounds out the top five after an impressive 2020 campaign.
The No. 6 slot belongs to two-time national champion Florida, which picked up an immediate impact transfer in middle infielder Skylar Wallace (Alabama). Louisiana checks in at No. 7, just ahead of No. 8 Alabama. Texas suffered a significant drop to No. 9 after superstar and two-way player Miranda Elish announced she would forego the 2021 season due to coronavirus concerns.
Oklahoma State checks in at No. 10, just ahead of No. 11 Florida State and No. 12 Oregon.
Mississippi State makes its debut in the D1Softball Top 25 Rankings with a program headed the right direction. The Bulldogs have eight returning arms on their pitching staff and return big-time power in Mia Davidson and Fa Leilua.
The SEC leads all conferences with 10 teams in the Top 25. The Pac-12 is next with five teams, followed by Big 12 with four, and the Big Ten and ACC with two. The Sun Belt and AAC each have one team in the rankings.
The D1Softball Top 25 rankings are headlined by lead writers Rhiannon Potkey and Tara Henry.
Rank | Team | 2020 Record | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | UCLA | 25-1 | ||
2 | Oklahoma | 20-4 | ||
3 | Washington | 23-2 | ||
4 | Arizona | 22-3 | ||
5 | LSU | 21-3 | ||
6 | Florida | 23-4 | ||
7 | Louisiana | 18-6 | ||
8 | Alabama | 14-8 | ||
9 | Texas | 24-3 | ||
10 | Oklahoma State | 19-5 | ||
11 | Florida State | 17-7 | ||
12 | Oregon | 22-2 | ||
13 | Georgia | 23-5 | ||
14 | Virginia Tech | 21-4 | ||
15 | Mississippi State | 25-3 | ||
16 | Arkansas | 19-6 | ||
17 | Arizona State | 22-7 | ||
18 | Michigan | 15-8 | ||
19 | Baylor | 19-5 | ||
20 | Minnesota | 15-9 | ||
21 | Tennessee | 14-9 | ||
22 | Central Florida | 21-5 | ||
23 | Missouri | 19-7 | ||
24 | Kentucky | 20-4 | ||
25 | South Carolina | 17-6 | ||