BATON ROUGE — After earning a No. 8 preseason ranking by the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll on Tuesday, the LSU softball team enters the 2005 season ranked No. 5 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association/USA Today preseason collegiate poll released Wednesday.
The No. 5 national ranking marks the seventh consecutive preseason ranking for the Tigers and the second highest for LSU after being ranked No. 4 to start the 2002 season. The Tigers have also been ranked for 97 consecutive weeks in the NFCA/USA Today poll, dating back to Feb. 25, 1998, including 13 consecutive weeks in the top 10.
The NFCA/USA Today poll is voted on by 30 NCAA Division I coaches representing different conferences. Last season, LSU was ranked No. 3 in the final poll after finishing third in the Women’s College World Series.
Defending national runner-up California, which knocked off LSU in the WCWS semifinal game, tops the poll, edging out 2004 National Champion UCLA. Perennial powerhouse Arizona ranks third, followed by Oklahoma and LSU. Rounding out the top 10 are Stanford, Georgia, Michigan, UL-Lafayette and Florida State.
The Pac-10 leads the conferences with seven of its eight softball playing schools ranked in the top 25, while the SEC and Big 12 are each represented four schools in the poll. Among the four SEC teams in the top 25 with LSU are Georgia at No. 7, Alabama at No. 12 and Tennessee at No. 14.
LSU faces seven opponents ranked in the preseason top 25 in 2005. The Tigers will also take on three 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. 11 Washington. The Tigers will conclude tournament play against No. 22 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 NFCA/USA Today Top 25 Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Pts | Pvs |
| 1 | California (14) | 53-13 | 729 | 2 |
| 2 | UCLA (12) | 46-9 | 705 | 1 |
| 3 | Arizona (4) | 55-6 | 698 | 8 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 45-22-1 | 617 | 6 |
| 5 | LSU | 57-12 | 541 | 3 |
| 6 | Stanford | 49-19 | 512 | 4 |
| 7 | Georgia | 55-17 | 511 | 11 |
| 8 | Michigan | 54-13 | 502 | 9 |
| 9 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 60-8 | 472 | 10 |
| 10 | Florida State | 62-12 | 466 | 5 |
| 11 | Washington | 40-19 | 442 | 7 |
| 12 | Alabama | 46-20 | 419 | 13 |
| 13 | Oregon | 42-21 | 372 | 12 |
| 14 | Tennessee | 55-16 | 363 | 18 |
| 15 | Texas | 24-25 | 362 | NR |
| 16 | Oregon State | 44-28 | 232 | 15 |
| 17 | Baylor | 48-17 | 222 | 19 |
| 18 | Nebraska | 45-17 | 213 | 14 |
| 19 | Fresno State | 48-20 | 195 | 25 |
| 20 | Long Beach State | 51-13 | 163 | 19 |
| 21 | South Florida | 60-14 | 158 | 16 |
| 22 | Illinois | 45-21-1 | 133 | 17 |
| 23 | Georgia Tech | 47-19 | 100 | 22 |
| 24 | Southern Illinois | 45-17 | 67 | 24 |
| 25 | Hofstra | 38-20 | 65 | 21 |
| Others receiving votes: Texas A&M 64, Notre Dame 60, Auburn 59, Florida 51, Florida Atlantic 45, Northwestern 41, Arizona State 26, DePaul 18, Michigan State 16, Massachusetts 13, Pacific 11, Oklahoma State 11, Iowa 11, Louisville 9, Tulsa 9, Kansas 7. 11 other teams received votes, but only appeared on one ballot. |
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