Florida Claims Top Spot in ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason Poll
Tuesday, January 27, 2015 | Softball
OKLAHOMA CITY – Following its national championship campaign in 2014, the Gator Softball team will begin the 2015 season ranked No. 1 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. Florida earned 15 of 20 first-place votes in the preseason rankings, which were announced Tuesday by the Amateur Softball Association of America.
Beginning his 10th season in Gainesville, Head Coach Tim Walton has the preseason No. 1 team in the USA Softball rankings for the second time; the Gators also started at No. 1 in 2009. Florida returns 14 letterwinners from last season and brings in a class of six freshmen.
The Gators are scheduled to face 10 teams ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 preseason poll this year. In addition, five Gator opponents are receiving votes.
UF will start the 2015 season next weekend in Tampa, Fla., with five games at the USF Softball Classic. This includes a Saturday contest against preseason No. 8 Michigan and Sunday matchups with in-state rivals Jacksonville and USF. Florida's full 2015 schedule is available on GatorZone.com.
The Gators also are ranked No.1 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Preseason Poll, which was released last week.
Taylor Schwarz and the Gators are No. 1 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason poll. (Photo: Tim Casey)
2015 ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Preseason Poll
First place votes in parentheses
2015 UF opponents in italics
| Rank | Team | 2014 Record | Points | Previous |
| 1 | FLORIDA (15) | 55-12 | 492 | 1 |
| 2 | Oregon (4) | 56-9-1 | 475 | 3 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 51-13 | 429 | 4 |
| 4 | Alabama | 53-13 | 423 | 2 |
| 5 | Florida State | 55-9 | 417 | 7 |
| 6 | UCLA (1) | 52-8 | 391 | 9 |
| 7 | Kentucky | 50-19 | 374 | 6 |
| 8 | Michigan | 47-15 | 367 | 10 |
| 9 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 49-10-1 | 318 | 8 |
| 10 | Georgia | 49-15 | 290 | 12 |
| 11 | Baylor | 49-16 | 280 | 5 |
| 12 | Arizona | 44-16 | 266 | T14 |
| 13 | Washington | 37-15 | 251 | 13 |
| 14 | Tennessee | 46-12 | 239 | 11 |
| 15 | Minnesota | 44-12 | 210 | T14 |
| 16 | Arizona State | 46-12-1 | 197 | 16 |
| 17 | Missouri | 43-18 | 185 | 18 |
| 18 | LSU | 38-24 | 177 | 22 |
| 19 | Auburn | 42-19-1 | 162 | 21 |
| 20 | Nebraska | 44-18 | 122 | 17 |
| 21 | Notre Dame | 41-13 | 98 | 20 |
| 22 | Tulsa | 53-9 | 61 | 19 |
| 23 | South Alabama | 42-14 | 59 | 23 |
| 24 | Texas A&M | 37-22 | 32 | RV |
| 25 | Texas | 35-23 | 31 | RV |
Others receiving votes: Wisconsin (26), DePaul (24), USC Upstate (20), NC State (18), James Madison (15), Central Florida (13), North Carolina (7), Louisville (6), California (5), Stanford (4), South Carolina (4), Cal State Fullerton (3), Western Kentucky (3), Northwestern (2), Mississippi State (2), South Florida (1), Virginia Tech (1).
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