LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Back-to-back national champion Oklahoma became the No. 1 team in 2022 USA Today/Survey of the 25 best coaches in the NFCA Division I. The Sooners (59-3), who were unanimous No. 1 in all but one poll this season, have been atop the standings for 29 straight weeks.
OU capped off a record-breaking season with a dominant postseason run, in which the Sooners posted a 10-1 postseason record, including 5-1 in the Women’s College World Series. Capturing their fourth national title in the last six years and sixth overall (behind only UCLA and Arizona), the Sooners defeated Big 12 rival Texas in the Championship Series by scores of 16-1 and 10 -5. For the season, the Sooners recorded 41 run-rule wins, 33 shutouts, eight no-hitters, homered in 56 of 62 games, and held the opposition to one run or less 49 times.
No. 2 Texas made a remarkable run to its first Championship Series, becoming the first unseeded team to accomplish this feat. The Longhorns (47-22-1) won four actual road games to reach the WCWS and completed their best campaign to date with a 9-4 postseason record. Texas won the Seattle Regional with two wins over host Washington and then eliminated No. 4 seed Arkansas in Fayetteville after losing the first game of the Super Regional. At the WCWS, Texas bounced back after losing its second game to OU by winning three elimination games against Arizona and No. 7 seed Oklahoma State (twice) to reach the series.
National semifinalists UCLA and Oklahoma State rank 3rd and 4th. The Bruins (51-10) went 8-2 in the postseason, including a perfect 5-0 at Regionals and Super Regionals for their seventh consecutive berth to the WCWS. . After losing to Texas, UCLA won three straight, even forcing a winner-take-all semifinal against Oklahoma.
The Cowgirls (48-14) won their first seven games of the postseason, which included a sweep of No. 10 seed Clemson in Super Regionals. OSU defeated Arizona and Florida to reach the semifinals before falling twice to Texas.
The bottom four WCWS entrants – No. 5 Florida, No. 6 Northwestern, No. 7 Arizona and No. 8 Oregon State – fill the next four spots in the standings. The quartet went on tour at Super Regionals to make it to the WCWS.
The Gators (49-19) moved past No. 3 seed Virginia Tech by outscoring the Hokies 19-2 in the last two games. Northwestern came off a hotly contested Super Regional in the state of Arizona to reach its first WCWS since 2007.
Arizona and Oregon State joined Texas as unseeded programs in the WCWS. The Wildcats (39-22) entered the WCWS with a 5-0 postseason record, capturing the Columbia Regional with two wins over the host Tigers and sweeping Mississippi State in the Starkville Super Regional. The Beavers (39-22) came out of the Knoxville Regional, posting a 4-2 record, including two wins over the host Lady Vols on the final day to advance to the Super Regionals, where they swept Stanford in a Super Pac-12. Regional.
Arkansas (48-11) and Virginia Tech (46-10) round out the top 10. With their Super Regional runs, the aforementioned Cardinal and Bulldogs finished inside the top 20 at No. 18 and No. 19, respectively. The duo went on tour and eliminated No. 6 seed Alabama and No. 2 seed Florida State, respectively.
2022 USA Today/The NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches with one representing each of the NCAA Division I Conferences. Records reflect games played through June 9.
2022 USA Today / Poll of the 25 best NFCA Division I softball coaches
June 14 (Final)
|
Range
|
School (First Place Votes)
|
Points
|
record 2022
|
Previous Classification
|
|
1
|
Oklahoma (32)
|
800
|
59-3
|
1
|
|
two
|
Texas
|
766
|
47-22-1
|
sixteen
|
|
3
|
University of California at Los Angeles
|
725
|
51-10
|
5
|
|
4
|
oklahoma state
|
716
|
48-14
|
6
|
|
5
|
Florida
|
657
|
49-19
|
12
|
|
6
|
Northwest
|
625
|
45-13
|
10
|
|
7
|
Arizona
|
591
|
39-22
|
|
|
8
|
State of Oregon
|
552
|
39-22
|
|
|
9
|
Arkansas
|
535
|
48-11
|
4
|
|
10
|
Virginia Tech
|
517
|
46-10
|
3
|
|
eleven
|
arizona state
|
482
|
43-11
|
8
|
|
12
|
Duke
|
424
|
44-11
|
9
|
|
13
|
florida state
|
390
|
54-7
|
two
|
|
14
|
UCF
|
362
|
49-14
|
18
|
|
fifteen
|
Washington
|
314
|
38-17
|
eleven
|
|
sixteen
|
Clemson
|
306
|
42-17
|
14
|
|
17
|
Alabama
|
275
|
44-13
|
7
|
|
18
|
Stanford
|
264
|
39-22
|
trailer
|
|
19
|
mississippi state
|
250
|
37-27
|
|
|
twenty
|
Tennessee
|
215
|
41-18
|
13
|
|
twenty-one
|
Kentucky
|
200
|
37-19
|
fifteen
|
|
22
|
Georgia
|
130
|
40-16
|
19
|
|
23
|
Missouri
|
104
|
35-20
|
twenty
|
|
24
|
Chestnut
|
67
|
40-17
|
17
|
|
25
|
Oregon
|
52
|
33-19
|
23
|
New to the survey: No. 7 Arizona, No. 8 Oregon State, No. 18 Stanford, No. 19 Mississippi State
Abandoned: No. 21 Notre Dame, No. 22 LSU, No. 24 Michigan, No. 25 Nebraska
Reception of votes: Michigan (24), Notre Dame (14), Nebraska (12), LSU (11), Louisiana (9), San Diego State (7), Ole Miss (4).
2022 USA Today / The NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches with one representing each of the NCAA Division I Conferences. Records reflect games played through June 9, 2022.
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