Softball: New Rankings Released

After defeating Texas A&M and Arizona in a 4-0 opening weekend of the season, Northwestern jumped from its No. 7 ranking all the way to No. 2 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' Poll and No. 3 in the ESPN/USA Softball Rankings. The Wildcats received the school's only first place votes in any poll in program history after the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Az. 

The Cats cooled down this weekend with a 3-2 performance at the Palm Springs Classic in Cathedral City, Calif., after suffering an upset loss to San Diego State and 6-2 loss to No. 11 UCLA. As a result, NU has shifted places in the national polls. 

In the ESPN/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25, NU is ranked fifth, behind Alabama, Arizona State, Texas A&M and UCLA. 

In the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' Poll Top 25, the Cats are ranked sixth, behind Alabama, Texas A&M, Arizona State, Tennessee and Florida. 

The only team in either poll that ranks ahead of the Cats (7-2) that the team has already faced and defeated is Texas A&M(16-2), who received one first place vote in each poll. 

In order to boost their ranking back amongst the top three teams in the country, NU hopes to defeat Kansas, Bradley, Western Illinois and Southern Illinois at the Coach B Classic this weekend.