BATON ROUGE — The LSU softball team enters the 2005 season ranked No. 8 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason collegiate poll that was released Tuesday.
The No. 8 national ranking marks the second consecutive preseason ranking for the Tigers in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, which began midway through the 2003 season. With their highest preseason ranking in this poll, LSU has now been ranked in all 31 of the ESPN polls since its inception on Feb. 25, 2003.
The Tigers have also been ranked in the top 10 of this poll for 17 of the 31 weeks, including 14 consecutive weeks. Last season, LSU was ranked No. 3 in the final ESPN.com/USA Softball poll after finishing third in the Women’s College World Series.
The ESPN.com/USA Softball poll is voted on by NCAA Division I coaches representing 15 different Amateur Softball Association regions and 11 different collegiate conferences. The poll is also voted on by selected softball media members.
Defending national runner-up California, which knocked off LSU in the WCWS semifinal game, tops the poll, edging out perennial powerhouse Arizona. 2004 National Champion UCLA ranks third, followed by Oklahoma, Stanford, Texas and UL-Lafayette. Rounding out the top 10 after LSU are Washington in ninth and Georgia in 10th.
The Pac-10 leads the conferences with seven of its eight softball playing schools ranked in the top 25, while the Big 12 is represented by five schools in the poll. The Tigers are among four SEC teams in the top 25 with LSU and Georgia in the top 10, Tennessee standing at No. 13 and Alabama at No. 15.
LSU faces seven opponents ranked in the preseason top 25 in 2005, including two teams ranked in the top 10. The Tigers will also take on six teams that are currently receiving votes in the top 25 poll.
On Feb. 11, LSU opens the 2005 season in Las Vegas at the UNLV Desert Classic against UCF and No. 9 Washington. The Tigers will conclude tournament play against No. 25 Illinois and Louisville, which is receiving votes in the poll. LSU will begin play at home on Feb. 18 in the Tiger Classic, facing Grambling, Indiana and Southern in the three-day event.
2005 Preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll
| Rank | School | 2004 Record | Pts. | 2004 Finish |
| 1. | California (10) | 53-13 | 487 | 2 |
| 2. | Arizona (8) | 55-6 | 481 | 8 |
| 3. | UCLA (2) | 47-9 | 457 | 1 |
| 4. | Oklahoma | 45-22-1 | 411 | 6 |
| 5. | Stanford | 49-19 | 357 | 4 |
| 6. | Texas | 24-25 | 341 | NR |
| 7. | ULL | 60-8 | 328 | 10 |
| 8. | LSU | 57-12 | 324 | 3 |
| 9. | Washington | 57-12 | 324 | 3 |
| 10. | Georgia | 55-17 | 317 | 11 |
| 11. | Florida State | 62-12 | 310 | 5 |
| 12. | Michigan | 54-13 | 308 | 9 |
| 13. | Tennessee | 55-15 | 280 | 18 |
| 14. | Oregon | 42-21 | 260 | 12 |
| 15. | Alabama | 45-20 | 248 | 13 |
| 16. | Oregon State | 44-28 | 172 | 15 |
| 17. | Fresno State | 48-20 | 170 | 25 |
| 18. | Baylor | 48-17 | 154 | 19 |
| 19. | Long Beach State | 51-13 | 126 | 20 |
| 20. | Nebraska | 45-17 | 105 | 14 |
| 21. | Georgia Tech | 47-19 | 96 | 21 |
| 22. | South Florida | 60-14 | 84 | 16 |
| 23 | Texas A&M | 33-22 | 43 | NR |
| 24. | Southern Illinois | 45-17 | 43 | 24 |
| 25. | Illinois | 45-20-1 | 38 | 17 |
| Others Receiving Votes: Pacific (34), Massachusetts (28), Auburn (26), Iowa (23), Hofstra (23), Florida (22), Arizona State (14), Notre Dame (13), Northwestern (10), Mississippi State (9), Florida Atlantic (8), Louisville, (7), South Carolina (6), Missouri (6), Oklahoma State (3), North Carolina (3), Seton Hall (3), Creighton (3), DePaul (1), Tulsa (1). | ||||