Tag: D1softball

Florida softball earns top spot in D1Softball’s preseason rankings

Like Softball America’s preseason rankings, D1Softball has also give the Gators the top spot in its early outlook.

The Florida softball program enters the 2025 campaign as D1Softball‘s top-ranked team, joining Softball America in placing the Gators on the top preseason perch.

Tim Walton’s team has a robust core of returning players despite the loss of star infielder Skylar Wallace, outfielder Katie Kistler and catcher Emily Wilkie. He compared the current roster to the one he had coming into the 2008 season, which included a freshman class that became the winningest in program history.

The Orange and Blue are accompanied by eight other Southeastern Conference schools in the top 25 to lead the nation while the Big Ten comes in second place with six.

The Texas Longhorns (No. 2), Oklahoma Sooners (No. 3), Tennessee Volunteers (No. 9), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 9), Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 10), LSU Tigers (No. 11), Georgia Bulldogs (No. 15) and Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 17) are the schools that joined the Gators in the preseason standings.

D1Softball Preseason Top 25

  1. Florida
  2. Texas
  3. Oklahoma
  4. UCLA
  5. Oklahoma State
  6. Tennessee
  7. Duke
  8. Florida State
  9. Texas A&M
  10. Arkansas
  11. LSU
  12. Arizona
  13. Texas Tech
  14. Nebraska
  15. Georgia
  16. Virginia Tech
  17. Alabama
  18. Oregon
  19. Northwestern
  20. Michigan
  21. Baylor
  22. Stanford
  23. Boston
  24. Liberty
  25. Penn State

Florida’s 2025 softball season opener

The Gators open up the 2025 campaign against the North Florida Ospreys inside Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 6. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. ET while broadcast details have not yet been released.

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Duke softball opens the 2025 season at No. 7 in the D1Softball rankings

The Duke Blue Devils, fresh off their first Women’s College World Series appearance, opened the year at No. 7 in the D1Softball rankings.

The Duke softball team put together its best season in program history last year, winning 52 games to advance to the Women’s College World Series for the first time. With the 2025 slate just around the corner, D1Softball clearly thinks such a feat could be repeatable for head coach Marissa Young.

The Blue Devils slotted in at No. 7 in D1Softball’s 2025 preseason rankings released on Tuesday, leading all ACC programs.

Duke lost some key stars this offseason, most notably with ACC Player of the Year Claire Davidson (.436 batting average, 20 doubles, 18 home runs, 67 RBIs) and ACC Pitcher of the Year Jala Wright (1.50 ERA and 189 strikeouts in 154.1 innings pitched).

ACC Defensive Player of the Year Aminah Vega and All-ACC First Team pitcher Cassidy Curd both return, however. Vega even made the Preseason First Team All-American squad for Softball America.

The Florida Gators led the preseason rankings with the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners in the following two spots.

Duke’s 2025 campaign kicks off on February 7 with a double-header against the Penn State Nittany Lions and Mississippi State Bulldogs.

D1Softball ranks Texas A&M transfer in the top five of their UT/DP rankings

Texas A&M transfer Mac Barbara ranked fifth in D1Softball’s UT/DP rankings

Texas A&M had a decent turnover rate with the team due to the graduation of several key players. One of the players she brought in was power hitter Mac Barbara from San Diego State.

On Friday, D1Softball released the position rankings for UT/DP, and Barbara landed in the top five at No .5 in the nation. With Trinity Cannon, Jaz Hill, and Aiyana Coleman graduating and transferring, coach Trisha Ford needed to bring in an experienced player with some pop in her bat. Mac will fill that role perfectly for the 2025 softball season.

Before arriving at A&M, she was a two-time Mountain West Player of the Year and has career marks of a .746 slugging percentage, 1.235 OPS, and 45 home runs.

Her veteran presence and big bat are just what the Aggies need to compete in the SEC this season.

The softball team will start the season with a doubleheader at Davis Diamond on February 6 against Utah State and Purdue.

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D1Softball ranks Texas A&M veteran in the top five of their shortstop rankings

Texas A&M veteran Koko Wooley ranked fourth in D1Softball’s shortstop rankings

Texas A&M will be an extremely athletic team this year, and I expect them to set a record for stolen bases. Senior shortstop Koko Wooley will lead them in that category.

On Wednesday, D1Softball released the position rankings for shortstop, and Wooley landed in the top five at No .4 in the nation. She is one of the most entertaining players in college softball and has been holding down the SS spot since her freshman year. Being a career .358 batting average with 64 stolen bases makes her one of coach Trisha Ford’s most dangerous offensive weapons.

Wooley also improved her defensive jumping from a .898 fielding % to .950 since her freshman season. She will be looking to help lead the next generation of Aggies as they hope to make some noise in the postseason.

The softball team will start the season with a doubleheader at Davis Diamond on February 6 against Utah State and Purdue.

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D1Softball ranks Texas A&M ace in the top five of their pitching rankings

Texas A&M ace LHP Emiley Kennedy ranked fourth in D1Softball’s pitching rankings

There weren’t many pitchers in 2024 that were in the circle in high-pressure situations compared to Texas A&M senior LHP Emiley Kennedy. On Tuesday, D1Softball released its position rankings and named Kennedy No. 4 nationwide.

Kennedy was the workhorse for the Aggies last season, with over 200 innings pitched and 200 strikeouts. Her 10 shutouts were good enough for third-most in the nation, and she posted a 24-11 record with a 1.93 ERA. On top of earning Second Team All-American honors after her junior year, the All-SEC First Team selected her.

The Aggies have a strong team this season, and with coach Trisha Ford’s help, Kennedy will have a fresh arm to make a deep run.

The softball team will start the season with a doubleheader at Davis Diamond on February 6 against Utah State and Purdue.

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Did the Texas A&M softball team make the 2025 preseason Top 25?

Texas A&M HC Trisha Ford will have a Top 10 team heading into the 2025 season

Spring is almost upon us, heralding the beginning of Texas A&M softball. Trisha Ford faces elevated expectations in her third year with a well-rounded team ready for a successful season.

On Monday, D1Softball released its preseason Top 25 rankings, and the Aggies ranked No. 7 for the 2025 college softball season. They currently have three consensus top 100 players: Emiley Kennedy, Koko Wooley, and transfer Mac Barbara, highlighting a talented roster.

Barbara leads a top 5 transfer class, and coach Ford made a point to bring in additional proven pitchers to give her ace Kennedy some relief after pitching over 200 innings last season. They also have a strong freshman class and a team loaded with speed that will cause problems on the base path.

The Aggies would be the top-ranked team if they were in any other conference. However, they reside in the SEC, where a team from the conference played the national title game in the last 11 of 12 series. It won’t be an easy path, but A&M has the weapons to make it interesting.

The softball team will start the season with a doubleheader at Davis Diamond on February 6 against Utah State and Purdue.

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D1Softball names three Texas A&M softball players to their preseason Top 100

D1Softball names Kennedy, Wooley, and Barbara to their preseason top 100 players list

Davis Diamond will be the place to be in February when the Texas A&M softball team starts their 2025 campaign with one of the most complete teams head coach Trisha Ford since arriving a few years ago.

With the graduation of several key leaders, such as Rylan Wiggins, Trinity Cannon, and Julia Cottrill, coach Ford knew she had to plug some important holes to stay competitive in the SEC. However, she would not be starting from scratch, bringing back All-American pitch Emily Kennedy and veteran infielder Koko Wooley.

She added the powerful Mac Barbara from San Diego State through the portal and a few promising pitches to help support her ace. In any other conference, the Aggies would probably be at the top of the rankings, but this is the SEC, where softball, hands down, is the toughest in the land.

The softball team will start the season with a doubleheader on February 6 against Utah State and Purdue at Davis Diamond.

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Three Duke softball players named D1Softball All-Americans

Three Duke Blue Devils, including ACC Player of the Year Claire Davidson, earned D1Softball All-American honors on Tuesday.

D1Softball released its 2024 All-American honorees on Tuesday, and three Duke Blue Devils made the esteemed squad.

Senior right fielder Claire Davidson earned First Team honors while senior pitcher Jala Wright and sophomore second baseman Aminah Vega slotted onto the Second Team.

Davidson led the team with a .439 batting average and set a single-season school record with 67 RBIs. Her 19 doubles also rewrote a program record, and her 18 home runs sit one shy of Ana Gold’s 19 last season.

Vega finished narrowly behind with 18 doubles and 12 home runs, second on the team in both metrics, and she finished with an average of .381.

In the circle, Wright led the team with a 1.28 ERA and a 19-2 record in 33 appearances. She struck out 187 batters in 153.1 innings, going the distance for eight complete games, and opponents batted just .176 against her.

All three players earned conference awards, too. Davidson was named the ACC Player of the Year, Wright won ACC Pitcher of the Year, and Vega took home ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors.

The three landmark campaigns come in the midst of the best season in program history. Duke won the ACC regular-season title and the ACC Tournament, reached 50 wins in a single season for the first time, and booked its first-ever trip to the Women’s College World Series after beating Missouri on Sunday.

The Blue Devils look to keep the momentum going in the first round of the WCWS on Thursday, when they play three-time defending national champion Oklahoma.

Duke softball’s Claire Davidson named D1Softball’s National Player of the Week

Senior Claire Davidson batted in 10 runs in three games against Clemson, earning her D1Softball’s National Player of the Week honors.

D1Softball named Duke’s Claire Davidson its National Player of the Week on Tuesday.

The senior’s recent form came to a head against the Clemson Tigers over the weekend when she recorded five hits, including a pair of 3-run homers, in three games. She added two doubles in the Sunday finale, helping the Ble Devils clinch the sweep, and batted in 10 runs across the series.

Duke softball has played 12 games since March 28. In that time frame, Davidson has batted 0.552 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs.

Here surge has her on the doorstep of some program records as she has 15 home runs (four short of the single-season mark) and 56 RBIs (already tied for the school record) with nine games left in the regular season.

This is the second time a Blue Devil earned national honors after second baseman Aminah Vega was named the NCAA Player of the Week for her performances against Virginia Tech last month.

Davidson’s chase for Duke history continues with a Wednesday road game against UNC Greensboro.

Texas A&M outfielder Jazmine Hill named SEC Player of the Week

Texas A&M outfielder Jazmine Hill earned SEC Player of the Week after playing lights out through four games

Junior Jazmine Hill transferred to Texas A&M to be back around familiar faces, Coach Trisha Ford. Since being in Aggieland, she’s been one of the most consistent bats on the team, with a strong .392 batting average, eight home runs, 32 RBI, and a .725 slugging percentage.

Below is the excerpt from the SEC press release naming Hill as the SEC Player of the Week.

Texas A&M’s Jazmine Hill, a graduate student outfielder from Norwalk, Calif., went 6-for-9 at the plate this past week, including 5-for-8 in the series win over Kentucky. Over the four games, Hill tallied six hits (including a double and a triple), five walks, four runs scored and three RBI. Defensively, she recorded three putouts and two assists, including a game-ending 8-2-6 putout in game two to clinch the series against the Wildcats.

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