Category: Softball

Kentucky softball takes two of three games against the Auburn Tigers

Kentucky softball takes two out of three games against Auburn.

After a slow start in SEC play, the Kentucky softball team has now won two consecutive series against SEC opponents. Last week, they won two of three versus the Georgia Bulldogs, and this past weekend, they took two out of three games against the Auburn Tigers.

In game one, the Cats fell behind 2 – 0, but Peyton Plotts answered in the fifth inning with a go-ahead three-run homerun. Taylor Ebbs stayed red hot, and homered in the seventh and Kentucky won 5 – 2.

Game two was a pitching duel. Syndey Langdon went all seven innings, surrendering just two hits and one run. Karissa Hamilton supplied the runs, driving in the only two Kentucky scored, but it held up. Kentucky won it 2 – 1.

The final game was played on Monday. Erin Coffel hit a solo homerun to put the Wildcats up early, but that would be all for the offense. Auburn would tie it in the second inning, and go on to win it 4 – 1.

Kentucky’s record now stands at 29 – 16 overall, and 7 – 11 in conference play. Another SEC opponent is up next when they Cats host South Carolina for a three-game set. Game one is Friday at 6:30 PM ET.

Auburn softball remains outside of USA TODAY/NFCA Coaches Poll after Kentucky series

The Tigers continue to receive votes in the USA TODAY/NFCA Coaches Poll as the SEC schedule begins to wind down.

Auburn softball may have dropped its most recent series to Kentucky, but they found a way to win the final game of the series thanks to a great effort in the circle by [autotag]Shelby Lowe[/autotag] and several heads-up scoring opportunities.

As the SEC schedule begins its final turn, Auburn remains outside of the top 25 rankings in this week’s USA TODAY/NFCA Coaches Poll.

Ten SEC teams make up this week’s top 25 from USA TODAY and NFCA, with South Carolina joining Auburn in the receiving votes category. Ole Miss is the lone SEC squad that did not receive top-25 consideration this week.

Tennessee is the SEC’s highest-represented club this week. The Lady Vols won two of three games over LSU last weekend, which gives them a one-spot bump to No. 3 in this week’s poll. Coincidentally, the series loss pushed LSU up to No. 6. Texas A&M rounds out the SEC in the top 10 by earning a No. 10 ranking after it swept Ole Miss over the weekend.

Georgia and Florida each dropped to No. 11 and No. 12 respectively. Missouri dropped one place to No. 14 while Arkansas jumped a place to No. 15 after winning the series at Alabama. As for the Crimson Tide, they fall three spots to No. 17.

Mississippi State checks in at No. 18 after taking a week off of SEC play, and Kentucky jumps to No. 21 after its series win at Auburn.

Here is a look at this week’s USA TODAY/NFCA Coaches Poll

Rank Team Record Points Last Week
1 Texas 38-6 791 1
2 Oklahoma 42-4 772 2
3 Tennessee 34-8 720 4
4 Oklahoma State 39-8 666 6
5 Duke 39-6 652 3
6 LSU 35-10 592 7
7 Stanford 36-10 590 5
8 Washington 30-8 566 8
9 UCLA 27-9 554 12
10 Texas A&M 37-9 536 11
11 Georgia 36-11 516 9
12 Florida 37-10 466 10
13 Virginia Tech 35-9-1 403 15
14 Missouri 35-13 377 13
15 Arkansas 32-12 360 16
16 Florida State 36-10 294 18
17 Alabama 31-12 291 14
18 Mississippi State 30-13 240 17
19 Arizona 31-13-1 235 19
20 California 31-14 235 19
21 Kentucky 29-15 120 24
22 Clemson 31-15 117 21
23 Boston University 40-4 110 23
24 Oregon 26-16 100 22
25 Louisiana 33-15 74 25

Others Receiving Votes

Northwestern (25), South Carolina (21), Texas State (19), Virginia (9), Miami (6), Auburn (4), Grand Canyon (3), Baylor (2), Eastern Kentucky (1).

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Where Clemson softball ranks in D1Softball, coaches polls

Clemson Softball: Here’s where the Tigers rank in the new coaches poll and D1Softball poll, released Tuesday, April 23.

There’s good news and bad news for Clemson softball in terms of Top 25 rankings for Week 12.

The Tigers went 3-1 last week with wins over Winthrop and winning two of three from Notre Dame in ACC play. That was enough to keep coach John Rittman’s team at No. 22 in the USA TODAY Sports/NCFA Division I Top 25 coaches poll, compiled by the 32 head coaches who make up the rankings.

Clemson fell one spot in the coaches poll from last week.

The Tigers fell out of D1Softball’s Top 25 poll, also released Tuesday. It’s the second major poll that Clemson was shut out of this week; the team was also unranked in Monday’s new Softball America Top 25 rankings.

Just as importantly, Clemson is ranked No. 23 in the RPI rankings. Those rankings hold more weight when the selection committee decides its seedings for the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament.

The top four teams were the same in both the coaches poll and D1Softball’s poll with Texas (38-6 overall) remaining No. 1 for the third consecutive week. Oklahoma (42-4) stayed at No. 2 while Tennessee (34-8) moved up to No. 3 in both polls.

Oklahoma State (39-8) shot up to No. 4 in both polls.

In D1Softball’s poll, UCLA jumped all the way to No. 5 after a series sweep of previously fifth-ranked Stanford. The Bruins (27-9) climbed 12 spots in D1Softball’s poll.

Duke (39-6) checked in at No. 5 in the coaches poll.

The Blue Devils were the highest ranked ACC team in either poll and one of four league members in this week’s rankings. Aside from Clemson at No. 22, the ACC also featured Virginia Tech (No. 13) and Florida State (No. 16) in this week’s Top 25.

The SEC led the way with 10 teams ranked in both polls.

Clemson is scheduled to close out the regular season portion of their schedule this weekend when they travel to Louisville for a three-game series beginning Friday. The Tigers are tied for fourth place in ACC standings with Virginia. They trail conference leader Florida State (15-3), Duke (17-4), and Virginia Tech (17-4).

Recap: Auburn softball claims final game of Kentucky series

The Tigers ended its three-game set with No. 23 Kentucky by taking down the Wildcats, 4-1 on Monday.

Auburn softball dropped its weekend series with No. 23 Kentucky by losing two close games. However, the Tigers salvaged a game in the set by taking down the Wildcats in the stand-alone SEC game on Monday night.

Auburn answered Kentucky’s early solo home run by rattling off four unanswered runs to claim the final game of the three-game series, 4-1, on Monday night at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn.

Kentucky’s Erin Coffel put her team on the board first with a solo blast in the 1st inning to give the Wildcats the 1-0 lead. Auburn responded in the bottom of the 2nd with a solo home run of their own. Makayla Packer crushed a home run over the left field wall to tie the game at 1-1.

Luck found the Tigers over the final two innings. Auburn grabbed the lead in the 5th inning when Annabelle Widra grounded out to the pitcher. The Wildcats elected to get the out at first, which allowed Packer to score. Two more runs scored in the 6th inning. One run came from a bases-loaded walk to Amelia Lech, and a fielder’s choice off the bat of Packer allowed KK McCrary to score from 3rd base to extend Auburn’s lead to 4-1.

Shelby Lowe capped her stellar day in the circle by retiring three of the final four batters of the game in the 7th inning. In a complete-game effort, Lowe allowed one run on five hits while walking two and striking out four.

Although Auburn dropped the series, they found a way to take the final game of the set over a top-25 squad in Kentucky. Auburn head coach Mickey Dean says that his team’s resilience will pay off in postseason play.

“They have to recognize their greatness,” Dean said postgame. “Sometimes in a space of time, you aren’t where you want to be when it comes to wins and losses. We’re not where we want to be, but you have to look at home many ‘championship’ games, those final games of the series, that we have won. That’s a big deal. It’s going to mean a great deal at the end of the season and postseason. It shows us that we’re good on championship day.”

Auburn begins its penultimate SEC series Friday on the road at Ole Miss. Game one of the series will begin at 5 p.m. CT and can be viewed on SEC Network.

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Clemson softball’s tournament outlook- Is a national seed possible?

Clemson is at the mercy of other teams, but if it can take care of business through the ACC tournament, there’s a good chance the Tiger earn a regional.

After being left out of Softball America’s top-25 poll for the second week straight, Clemson finds itself in a precarious spot.

Despite the national site’s snub, the Tigers are ranked No. 23 in the RPI rankings, which holds more weight when the selection committee decides tournament seedings. So, is there a way to clinch a national seed and earn a Clemson regional?

Technically, yes, but the Tigers have to go on a run through the ACC Tournament. Like the NET in Basketball, home and away games are weighted differently. With an away series this weekend against Louisville, a loss won’t hurt as bad, but the Cardinals are No. 47 in the RPI. Losing the series could push Clemson further down, potentially pinning them against a higher seed like Texas or Oklahoma.

Right now, the Tigers are at the mercy of teams around the country. Clemson must move as close to No. 16 as possible in the RPI to have a chance at hosting a regional. However, a strong run in the ACC tournament could help.

Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Duke all rank above the Tigers. Clemson only has control of its side of the bracket, but the further they go into the tournament, the more likely those three teams lose.

FSU and Tech also have second-to-last-place in the ACC Syracuse left on their schedules. As the No. 102 team in the RPI, a win won’t do anything to help FSU or Virginia tech, but a couple of losses to Syracuse would do a lot for Clemson’s chances at a national seed.

The Texas A&M softball team enters the top ten in the power rankings

Texas A&M is one of the breakout teams this year winning six of the seven SEC series for a total of 15 conference wins

One of the better hires we’ve seen before the departure of former Texas A&M Ross Bjork was bringing in softball coach Trisha Ford from Arizona State. In year one under Ford, she led the Aggies to their most overall and conference wins in five seasons. In year two she is starting to flex her muscles and now that her identity has become law on the softball field.

Her no-nonsense approach has brought a sense of accountability and an understanding that just being good won’t cut it at this level. Her team has taken this to heart and has leaped to the next level. While I believe they are a few dominant players short of being among the elite, they are a team you do not want to see when they are clicking.

As we wait for the new polls to drop it’s likely the Aggies will have finally cracked the top ten in most polls. They still have one top-ten team to face in Florida, but right now they sit at No. 7 in the power rankings and are on track to host a regional if they can pick up another SEC win or two.

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Clemson remains shut out of Top 25 softball poll

NCAA Softball Top 25: the Clemson Tigers remained shut out of the Top 25 in Softball America’s latest rankings for Week 12, released on Monday, April 22.

The Clemson softball team remained shut out of the new Softball America Top 25 poll, released Monday, April 22.

It’s the second straight week that coach John Rittman’s team was unranked in the poll — although it certainly wasn’t for a lack of effort.

Clemson (31-15 overall, 13-8 conference) blanked Winthrop, 4-0, in its midweek game last week at McWhorter Stadium and won two of three games at Notre Dame.

Texas (38-6) stayed at No. 1 in Softball America’s poll for the second straight week while Oklahoma (42-4) held at No. 2. Tennessee (34-8) moved up one spot to No. 3 while Texas A&M (37-9) climbed three spots to No. 4. Oklahoma State (39-8) rounded out the top five.

The ACC had four teams ranked in the new poll. Duke (39-6) was the highest-ranked conference school at No. 6. Virginia Tech (No. 15), Florida State (No. 16), and Miami (No. 25) were also ranked.

Clemson will travel to Louisville to conclude its regular season schedule beginning Friday. After that, the Tigers will prepare for the 2024 ACC Softball Tournament, which begins Wednesday, May 8 in Durham.

Clemson is currently tied for fourth in ACC standings with Virginia. The Tigers trail conference leader Florida State (15-3 conference), Duke (17-4), and Virginia Tech (17-4).

Auburn drops pitching duel to Kentucky

Kentucky officially claims the series after taking down Auburn, 2-1 on Sunday evening.

Sunday’s middle game between Auburn and Kentucky featured a pitcher’s duel that saw both starters combined to strike out 14 batters while allowing just three total runs.

However, Auburn and ace Maddie Penta were on the losing side of the battle as the Tigers dropped the tight battle with Kentucky, 2-1, on Sunday evening at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn.

Penta was strong in the circle for Auburn (23-15-1, 5-12 SEC) by allowing two runs on two hits while walking four and striking out nine. However, two walks in the 4th inning led to two Kentucky (29-15,7-10 SEC) runs. With two outs in the inning, Kentucky’s Karissa Hamilton drove in two runs on a single to center field. She was thrown out while trying to leg out a double, but both runs scored before the out was called.

Auburn began a rally in the 6th inning. Amelia Lech crushed her 10th home run of the season to lead off the inning while Mariah Penta and KK McCrary each reached base. However, four of Auburn’s final five batters were retired, thus stopping the comeback effort.

Both teams finished the game with two hits each. Auburn head coach Mickey Dean says that the difference in the game was “the timely hit.”

“It comes down to timely hitting,” Dean said postgame. “The team that gets the timely hits wins the ball game. They got it, and we didn’t.”

Game three of the series between Auburn and Kentucky is set for 6 p.m. CT on Monday. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network.

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Huskers swept by Michigan in 11-3 defeat on Sunday

Nebraska falls to 25-19 on the season and 8-6 in Big Ten play.

Nebraska softball concluded its three-game series against Michigan. The Huskers fell to the Wolverines in the first two outings, and the trend continued following their 11-3 six-inning loss on Sunday.

This is the first Big Ten series of the season. Nebraska suffered a sweep, and it came in a struggling fashion. Michigan erupted in the third and fourth innings, scoring nine runs, before closing out with two runs in the sixth.

Kaylin Kinney suffered the loss in the pitching circle, allowing five runs in 3.0 innings. Caitlynn Neal pitched in the fourth inning and allowed four runs. Emmerson Cope pitched the final 1.1 innings and allowed two runs on only one hit.

Offensively, the Huskers finished with six hits and two RBIs in the game. Peyton Cody and Bella Bacon produced Nebraska’s lone RBIs, with Cody hitting one in the fourth inning and Bacon producing hers in the sixth.

Nebraska falls to 25-19 on the season and 8-6 in Big Ten play. The Huskers will return home Tuesday to face off against Iowa in a doubleheader. Game one is set for 4 p.m., and game two is set for 6:30 p.m., and both games can be viewed on Big Ten Network.

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Blue Devils softball lose first series of the year to Virginia on senior day

The Blue Devils lost back-to-back games for the first time in 2024 after a senior day sweep at the hands of Virginia on Saturday.

For the first time in 2024, the Blue Devils lost a series this weekend.

No. 3 Duke took the Friday game after a 12-inning marathon, an extra-inning walk-off on a bunt by Jada Baker. The series-opening win, powered by 12 scoreless innings in the circle from senior Jala Wright, moved Duke to 39-4 for the year. It was the Blue Devils’ 11th straight conference win, and Duke seemed to be operating at full power.

As the sun rose on Saturday, the final regular-season weekend games at Duke Softball Stadium awaited the Blue Devils. They faced the Cavaliers twice, first at 1 p.m. and again at 3:30 p.m., and lost both games by a single run.

Senior Claire Davidson, in the midst of maybe the greatest offensive season in program history, popped up a sacrifice fly in the third inning of the opening game to give Duke a 1-0 lead. Davidson already set the single-season RBI record during the midweek win over UNC Greensboro, and she finished the weekend with 59 RBIs for the season.

However, Virginia leadoff hitter Jade Hylton blasted a grand slam in the bottom of the fourth to shoot her squad ahead. The Blue Devils could only tack on two more runs in the fifth, more sacrifice flies from Kelly Torres and Davidson, but the final two frames passed in a scoreless draw for the Cavaliers to clinch the upset.

Davidson, Wright, Torres, Francesca Frelick, Lillie Walker, Gisele Tapia, and Sarah Goddard stared down redemption in the final weekend home game of their senior season.

Instead, the Cavaliers tacked on the first three runs of the game. Hylton homered again, raking in two more runs in the top of the third, before an RBI single from left fielder Kelsey Hackett gave UVA the 3-0 lead.

Wright came back into the circle in the middle of the sixth inning and did her part, striking out Virginia’s last five batters to keep the offensive challenge as small as possible.

Sophomore sensation Aminah Vega tripled in the bottom of the sixth, her 27th extra-base hit of the year, to bring home the first run. Two batters later, Tapia brought the second baseman home with a single into left field. All of a sudden, the Blue Devils were within one run of escaping with the series.

Instead, Virginia brought Madison Harris, who surrendered Friday’s fateful run, back into the circle. Harris retired her first batter to end the sixth and started the seventh with back-to-back outs, putting Duke’s back entirely against the wall.

D’Auna Jennings drew a walk to keep hopes alive, putting the tying run on base, but Torres flew out harmlessly to end the rally.

Duke, now 39-6 for the season, does play two more home games to close the regular season this coming week. Gardner-Webb comes to town on Tuesday before a Wednesday battle against Longwood. The Blue Devils end the year with a three-game road series against NC State.