College Softball News

College Softball Weekend Preview: FPN’s Top 5-Ranked Teams

No. 1 Washington (28-0)

The No. 1 Washington Huskies look to carry their undefeated record into conference play this weekend. The 28-0 Huskies head to Arizona to play three games against No. 9 Arizona State. Washington wrapped up the regular non-conference season with a win on Wednesday night against Bryant. The four wins this past weekend at the Rebel Classic also guaranteed that Washington would end this season with a winning record. That extends Washington’s streak of winning seasons to 26; the Huskies have never had a losing season in their history. Arizona State is 22-3 this year and previously rode an 11-game win-streak until splitting with the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday night. The Sun Devils have played 19 of their games at home so far, going 17-2 in Tempe.  Last week, Arizona State swept Minnesota in a three-game series.  In 2017, the Huskies and Sun Devils opened Pac-12 play against each other, with Washington sweeping ASU.  Washington has won six consecutive matchups against the Sun Devils and has not lost a series to Arizona State since 2013.

No. 2 Florida (22-1)

The second-ranked Florida softball team continues Southeastern Conference play this weekend when the team travels to Athens, Ga. to take on No. 8 Georgia at Jack Turner Stadium. The Gators (22-1, 3-0 SEC) are coming off of a series sweep of Kentucky at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium during SEC Opening Weekend. The series sweep is the first of the year, and it’s the 14th-straight time that UF has won an SEC series. Kelly Barnhill picked up a pair of shutouts, which included the fifth complete game no-hitter of career, this past weekend against Kentucky. The junior shut down what was then the fifth-ranked offense (.353 batting average) in the country and limited them to just a .091 batting average. Amanda Lorenz continues to stay white-hot at the plate. The Moorpark, Calif. native has reached safely in all 23 games so far this season and reached safely in all but two games last year.

No. 3 UCLA (24-0)

The No. 3-ranked UCLA softball team is the only remaining undefeated team heading into conference play this weekend. The Bruins will open up PAC-12 conference play at No. 6 Oregon. The Bruins head into the weekend with a perfect 24-0 record. Redshirt freshman Aaliyah Jordan is leading the Bruin offense batting .537 with 36 hits, 31 RBI, and a .896 slugging percentage. UCLA heads into the weekend hitting .399 as a team. On the mound, Rachel Garcia is 10-0, holds a 1.14 ERA and has 90 strikeouts in 61.2 innings pitched. Oregon enters the series 23-4 and has one of the most dominant pitching staffs in the country. Miranda Elish (10-0), Megan Kleist (7-3), and Maggie Balint (6-1) have a combined 0.70 ERA on the season. Jenna Lilley (.457) and Alexis Mack (.429) are leading the way for the Ducks offense. Will Oregon be the team that will hand UCLA its first loss in the 2018 season? The Ducks certainly have the pitching and offense to do so.

No. 4 Tennessee (26-1)

Tennessee softball made it 18 straight victories after a 5-0 win over North Dakota to wrap up the first day of the Bank of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Classic on Wednesday. The No. 4 Lady Vols (26-1) had defeated Cleveland State 12-0 in five innings earlier in the day. Tennessee will face North Dakota (13-12) again Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET before taking on Hawai’i in the nightcap at 1 a.m. ET. Tennessee will wrap up play at the Bank of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Classic with two games against Maryland on Friday and Saturday before returning home.

No. 5 Texas A&M (24-3)

The No. 5 Texas A&M softball team hosts its final tournament of the regular season, the Reveille Invite, beginning Thursday at The Aggie Softball Complex. The tournament also features UConn, Michigan State, and Marist, whom the Aggies will face twice. Texas A&M is 24-3 (3-0 SEC) on the season and is coming off a sweep to begin SEC play against No. 19 Ole Miss. Keeli Milligan leads the Aggies offense with a .406 average on the year followed by Sarah Hudek, who is batting .403. Tori Vidales leads the team with six home runs and 35 RBI, while Riley Sartain has belted five home runs and is third on the team with 17 RBI. In the circle, Trinity Harrington is 7-1 with a 1.55 ERA. Maddie MacGrandle holds a 5-0 mark and a 1.71 ERA. Show is 7-2, while Smith has added four wins.

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