The Duke softball team has a 33-3 record through nine weeks this season, and their eight straight wins have them No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/NFCA Coaches Poll.
The Blue Devils swept Virginia Tech, who previously hadn’t lost a conference game, and North Carolina over the past two weekends. Duke outscored UNC 20-5 over the three-game series, and sophomore pitcher Cassidy Curd was named ACC Pitcher of the Week after she struck out 12 Tar Heels in five shutout innings on Saturday.
The Blue Devils now trail just Oklahoma and Texas in the Coaches Poll. The Sooners, who have won the past three national championships and beat Duke in the season opener, are 35-3, but the 31-6 Longhorns handed them two straight losses over the weekend to take the rivalry series.
Texas’ two wins over Oklahoma actually boosted Duke up to first in the Softball America rankings released on Monday, the first time in school history that the Blue Devils have ever summited a national ranking.