BATON ROUGE — After earning a No. 15 preseason ranking by USA Softball and ESPN.com earlier this month, the LSU softball team enters the 2004 season ranked No. 14 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association/USA Today preseason collegiate poll released Thursday.
The No. 14 national ranking marks the sixth consecutive preseason ranking for the Tigers and the 81st straight week LSU has been ranked, dating back to Feb. 25, 1998. The Tigers were ranked No. 9 in the all-time poll released by the NFCA and USA Today during the summer.
The USA Today/NFCA poll is voted on by 27 NCAA Division I coaches representing different conferences. The Tigers finished the 2003 season ranked No. 15 in the poll after advancing to the NCAA Regionals.
Defending national champion UCLA tops the poll, just ahead of perennial power Arizona. 2003 NCAA runner-up California ranks third, while Oklahoma is fourth and Washington comes in at fifth. Rounding out the top 10 are Alabama in sixth, Georgia in seventh, Nebraska in eighth, UL-Lafayette in ninth and Michigan and Texas tied at No. 10.
The Pac-10 leads the way with seven of its eight softball-playing schools ranked in the top 25. The Tigers are among four SEC teams in the top 25 as Alabama ranks sixth, Georgia stands at seventh and South Carolina comes in at No. 22.
LSU faces five opponents ranked in the preseason top 25 in 2004, including four teams ranked in the top 10. The Tigers will also take on four teams that are currently receiving votes in the poll.
LSU will begin the season with the Tiger Classic from Feb. 6-8 at Tiger Park. The Tigers will begin play against Centenary at 2 p.m. on Feb. 6. LSU will also take on No. 4 Oklahoma, Illinois, which is receiving votes, and Southeastern Louisiana in the three-day tournament.
2004 Preseason NFCA/USA Today Top 25 Poll
Rank School 2003 Record Pts.
1. UCLA (26) 54-7 674
2. Arizona 56-7 632
3. California (1) 49-20 629
4. Oklahoma 47-14 535
5. Washington 47-16-1 515
6. Alabama 49-21 514
7. Georgia 57-14 455
8. Nebraska 39-17 439
9. UL-Lafayette 47-11 425
T-10. Michigan 44-16 419
T-10. Texas 49-9 419
12. DePaul 48-7-1 375
13. Cal State Fullerton 41-15 329
14. LSU 50-18 311
15. Stanford 41-26 262
16. Oregon 37-19 258
17. Iowa 44-15 242
18. Texas A&M 38-22 208
19. Florida State 46-11 198
20. Arizona State 32-25 195
21. Oklahoma State 39-15 184
22. South Carolina 39-19 90
23. Fresno State 36-22 80
24. Southern Illinois 39-14 77
25. Michigan State 40-19 72
Others Receiving Votes: South Florida 50, Tennessee 39, Florida 29, Northwestern 29, Texas State-San Marcos 25, Oregon State 23, Massachusetts 8, Illinois 6, Minnesota 5, Notre Dame 4, Hawai’i 4, Mississippi State 3, Florida Atlantic 3.