GAINESVILLE, Fla. — On the heels of a 5-0 week at the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic that featured a win over a Top-5 opponent, Gator Softball (21-0) earned near-unanimous No. 1 rankings in the USA Today/NFCA poll and the ESPN.com / USA Softball survey, released Tuesday (March 4) by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and the Amateur Softball Association of America.
Florida earned 30 of 32 first-place votes in the USA Today/NFCA rankings to hold a 64-point lead over No. 2 Oregon, who the Gators defeated 2-1 (8 innings) on Friday in Orlando. The Orange and Blue received 19 of 20 No. 1 votes in the ESPN.com / USA Softball poll to widen their lead over second-ranked Tennessee to 45 points.
Along with Friday’s win against the Ducks, Florida beat Fordham, Ohio State, Maryland and Radford in Orlando by a combined margin of 43-4. The Gators are back in action tonight when they host Boston College at 6 p.m. at Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium, and SEC play opens this weekend with a three-game series against Ole Miss. Sunday’s 11 a.m. series finale against the Rebels will be televised locally on SUN Sports.
