Softball Begins the Season Ranked in the Top Five
Friday, January 29, 2010 | Softball
The University of Florida softball team begins the season ranked third in the USA Today/NFCA preseason poll and fifth in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. The Gators will face eight teams on their 2010 schedule currently ranked and four receiving votes in either poll.
Defending national champion Washington garnered the top spots in both polls, including all 30 first-place votes in the USA Today rankings, a feat the Gators accomplished three times in the 2009 season. Five Southeastern Conference teams, including UF, ranked in both polls, as Alabama received the unanimous No. 2 spot and Georgia pulled a seven and eight ranking. Tennessee (16/18) and LSU (18/13) also received top-25 bids in both polls.
The Gators open their season with No. 13/14 Georgia Tech on Feb. 12 in the first day of action of the USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament in Clearwater, Fla. They then face No. 10/12 Stanford in Fullerton, Calif., in their second game of the DeMarini Tournament. In-state rival Florida State, whom UF will battle in Tallahassee on April 14, received 23rd- and 19th-place ranking in the preseason polls. Florida will also travel to Waco, Texas, to take on No. 17/15 Baylor in a three-game series on March 20-21.
The Pac-10 led all conference with six team receiving top-25 rankings, followed by the SEC with five. The Big Ten and Big 12 had three each.
The Gators return 10 letterwinners to the 2010 team, including four All-Americans – senior Francesca Enea (Woodland Hills, Calif.) and juniors Stephanie Brombacher (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), Kelsey Bruder (Corona, Calif.) and Aja Pacubla (Wildomar, Calif.) – and welcome seven newcomers.
USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll
Preseason
| Rank | Team | 2009 Record | Points | Last Rank |
| 1. | Washington (30) | 51-12 | 750 | 1 |
| 2. | Alabama | 54-11 | 677 | 3 |
| 3. | Florida | 63-5 | 649 | 2 |
| 4. | Michigan | 47-12 | 625 | 6 |
| 5. | Arizona State | 47-19 | 613 | 5 |
| 6. | Arizona | 46-17 | 597 | 7 |
| 7. | Georgia | 47-12 | 569 | 4 |
| 8. | UCLA | 45-11 | 558 | 9 |
| 9. | Missouri | 50-12 | 536 | 8 |
| 10. | Stanford | 48-11 | 433 | 10 |
| 11. | Oklahoma | 41-16 | 401 | 16 |
| 12. | California | 38-20 | 370 | 11 |
| 13. | Georgia Tech | 46-15 | 319 | 13 |
| 14. | Ohio State | 47-11 | 312 | 12 |
| 15. | Northwestern | 31-15 | 288 | 18 |
| 16. | Tennessee | 40-18-1 | 245 | 20 |
| 17. | Baylor | 40-22 | 226 | 15 |
| 18. | LSU | 34-18-1 | 219 | 19 |
| 19. | North Carolina | 47-13 | 209 | 17 |
| 20. | Massachusetts | 14-10 | 199 | 14 |
| 21. | DePaul | 39-14 | 178 | 23 |
| 22. | Louisville | 48-11 | 166 | RV |
| 23. | Florida State | 44-16 | 109 | 22 |
| 24. | Louisiana-Lafayette | 45-13 | 88 | 25 |
| 25. | Fresno State | 38-20 | 75 | RV |
Others Receiving Votes: North Dakota St. 44, Jacksonville St. 38, Cal Poly 37, Nevada 31, Nebraska 28, Texas 23, Notre Dame 21, Cal St. Fullerton 17, San Diego St. 15, Iowa 11, Kentucky 11, Purdue 10, Hawaii 8, Mississippi St. 7, Southern Illinois 7, Cal St. Northridge 6, Texas A&M 6, Tulsa 6, Creighton 4, BYU 3, Houston 3, Oklahoma St. 3
ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25
Preseason
| Rank | Team | 2009 Record | Points | Last Rank |
| 1. | Washington (17) | 51-12 | 479 | 1 |
| 2. | Alabama (1) | 54-11 | 457 | 3 |
| 3. | Michigan | 47-12 | 430 | 5 |
| 4. | Arizona (1) | 46-17 | 424 | 7 |
| 5. | Florida | 63-5 | 407 | 2 |
| 6. | UCLA (1) | 45-11 | 396 | 10 |
| 7. | Arizona State | 47-19 | 387 | 6 |
| 8. | Georgia | 47-12 | 363 | 4 |
| 9. | Missouri | 50-12 | 337 | 8 |
| 10. | Oklahoma | 41-16 | 306 | 17 |
| 11. | California | 38-20 | 282 | 12 |
| 12. | Stanford | 48-11 | 256 | 9 |
| 13. | LSU | 34-18-1 | 234 | 19 |
| 14. | Georgia Tech | 46-15 | 215 | 13 |
| 15. | Baylor | 40-22 | 214 | 15 |
| 16. | Ohio State | 47-11 | 187 | 11 |
| 17. | Northwestern | 31-15 | 167 | 20 |
| 18. | Tennessee | 40-18-1 | 163 | 16 |
| 19. | Florida State | 44-16 | 128 | 25 |
| 20. | DePaul | 39-14 | 107 | 23 |
| 21. | Louisville | 48-11 | 93 | 24 |
| 22. | North Carolina | 47-13 | 91 | 22 |
| 23. | Louisiana-Lafayette | 45-13 | 84 | RV |
| 24. | Fresno State | 38-20 | 70 | RV |
| 25. | Massachusetts | 41-10 | 55 | 14 |
Others receiving votes: Kentucky (26), Jacksonville State (17), Auburn (14), North Dakota State (14), Nevada (12), Oregon (11), Oklahoma State (10), Texas (8), Cal Poly (7), Notre Dame (7), Nebraska (6), Texas A&M (5), Ball State (4), BYU (4), San Diego State (4), Long Beach State (3), Purdue (2), New Mexico State (1), Virginia Tech (1) and Western Michigan (1).
