2017 FloSoftball Preseason NCAA Division 1 Softball Rankings | FloSoftball
College season is right around the river bend and this year Oklahoma is the clear favorite to win in 2017. But you never know what can happen this year. We roll out our Preseason Division 1 Rankings and will be dipping into Division 2 rankings later in the week.
No. 1: Oklahoma
If you remember last season, Oklahoma flew under the radar with a relatively young team that had big shoes to fill after losing Shelby Pendley and Lauren Chamberlain. The Sooners had a rocky start early last season but turned a corner at the Easton Tournament when they beat Alabama is an insane pitchers duel between Paige Parker and Alexis Osorio. OU continued to crush opponents only dropping two games, going on a 31 game win streak before winning the National Title.
The Sooners roster returns nearly every starter minus Erin Miller and Kady Self. They add three pitchers to the staff: Missouri transfer Paige Lowary, freshman Mariah Lopez, Melanie Olmos, and Nicole Mendes. Simply put the Sooners are stacked, locked, and loaded. Expect Paige Parker to dominate and Shay Knighten to be emerge as one of the best players in the country.
No. 2: Florida State
Florida State can no longer be ignored as one of the top programs in 2017. After their first game in the College World Series, the Noles looked to be two and barbecue. Their defense suffered seven errors in the 5-4 loss to Georgia. However, the Noles proved be one of the most resilient teams in the country. They bounced back to beat UCLA, Michigan before dropping their final game to Auburn in a close 8-7 loss.
This Fall we saw how deep and versatile the Noles will be in 2017 when they beat Florida last fall. Their pitching staff will include veterans Jessica Burroughs and Meghan King. Expect freshman Cassidy Davis to log in a number of innings this season. Davis shut out Florida during the fall and it will be no surprise to see her throw big games in 2017.
No. 3: Florida
The Florida Gators still have the best pitching staff in the country. They return all three aces Aleshia Ocasio, Delanie Gourley, and Kelly Barnhill. The big question surrounding the Gators is, do they have enough offense? The makeup of the Gators offense is still being defined. Expect the top of the order to have a number of different looks.
Potential lead off hitters would include Amanda Lorenz, Kayli Kvistad, Justine McClean, and Nicole Dewitt. Expect freshman Jaimie Hoover to add more pop to the order. The Gators will need more run production this year to make it to the last day at Oklahoma City.
Who are the dark horses in 2017?
Last year, my dark horse was Utah and they appear to be the dark horse again. The Utes have the pitching and the experience to go to the College World Series. They return top offensive performers Hannah Flippen, Delilah Bacheco and Anissa Urtez. They add the No. 10 prospect Alyssa Barrera to their offense.
Arizona brings in a killer freshmen class with Hot 100 players No. 5 Dejah Mulipola, No. 16 Reyna Carranco, No. 43 Jessica Harper, and No. 57 Malia Martinez who will completely change the makeup of this Wildcat offense. Danielle O'Toole returns as the ace. She turned heads last season handling top 25 teams and nearly knocking Auburn out of the NCAA tournament.
One of the most exciting players to watch for the Wildcats is redshirt freshman Alyssa Palomino. She will bring explosive energy on offense and superior playmaking abilities in the outfield. This year could be the perfect storm for the Wildcats who will have a blend of veterans, pitching, and a fresh offense.
2017 Preseason NCAA Preseason Rankings
Rank University
1 Oklahoma
2 Florida State
3 Florida
4 Auburn
5 Alabama
6 LSU
7 UCLA
8 Michigan
9 Arizona
10 Texas A&M
11 Tennessee
12 Washington
13 Oregon
14 Utah
15 Louisiana Rajun Cajuns
16 Minnesota
17 James Madison
18 Notre Dame
19 Georgia
20 Missouri
21 Baylor
22 Nebraska
23 South Carolina
24 Kentucky
25 Texas
College season is right around the river bend and this year Oklahoma is the clear favorite to win in 2017. But you never know what can happen this year. We roll out our Preseason Division 1 Rankings and will be dipping into Division 2 rankings later in the week.
No. 1: Oklahoma
If you remember last season, Oklahoma flew under the radar with a relatively young team that had big shoes to fill after losing Shelby Pendley and Lauren Chamberlain. The Sooners had a rocky start early last season but turned a corner at the Easton Tournament when they beat Alabama is an insane pitchers duel between Paige Parker and Alexis Osorio. OU continued to crush opponents only dropping two games, going on a 31 game win streak before winning the National Title.
The Sooners roster returns nearly every starter minus Erin Miller and Kady Self. They add three pitchers to the staff: Missouri transfer Paige Lowary, freshman Mariah Lopez, Melanie Olmos, and Nicole Mendes. Simply put the Sooners are stacked, locked, and loaded. Expect Paige Parker to dominate and Shay Knighten to be emerge as one of the best players in the country.
No. 2: Florida State
Florida State can no longer be ignored as one of the top programs in 2017. After their first game in the College World Series, the Noles looked to be two and barbecue. Their defense suffered seven errors in the 5-4 loss to Georgia. However, the Noles proved be one of the most resilient teams in the country. They bounced back to beat UCLA, Michigan before dropping their final game to Auburn in a close 8-7 loss.
This Fall we saw how deep and versatile the Noles will be in 2017 when they beat Florida last fall. Their pitching staff will include veterans Jessica Burroughs and Meghan King. Expect freshman Cassidy Davis to log in a number of innings this season. Davis shut out Florida during the fall and it will be no surprise to see her throw big games in 2017.
No. 3: Florida
The Florida Gators still have the best pitching staff in the country. They return all three aces Aleshia Ocasio, Delanie Gourley, and Kelly Barnhill. The big question surrounding the Gators is, do they have enough offense? The makeup of the Gators offense is still being defined. Expect the top of the order to have a number of different looks.
Potential lead off hitters would include Amanda Lorenz, Kayli Kvistad, Justine McClean, and Nicole Dewitt. Expect freshman Jaimie Hoover to add more pop to the order. The Gators will need more run production this year to make it to the last day at Oklahoma City.
Who are the dark horses in 2017?
Last year, my dark horse was Utah and they appear to be the dark horse again. The Utes have the pitching and the experience to go to the College World Series. They return top offensive performers Hannah Flippen, Delilah Bacheco and Anissa Urtez. They add the No. 10 prospect Alyssa Barrera to their offense.
Arizona brings in a killer freshmen class with Hot 100 players No. 5 Dejah Mulipola, No. 16 Reyna Carranco, No. 43 Jessica Harper, and No. 57 Malia Martinez who will completely change the makeup of this Wildcat offense. Danielle O'Toole returns as the ace. She turned heads last season handling top 25 teams and nearly knocking Auburn out of the NCAA tournament.
One of the most exciting players to watch for the Wildcats is redshirt freshman Alyssa Palomino. She will bring explosive energy on offense and superior playmaking abilities in the outfield. This year could be the perfect storm for the Wildcats who will have a blend of veterans, pitching, and a fresh offense.
2017 Preseason NCAA Preseason Rankings
Rank University
1 Oklahoma
2 Florida State
3 Florida
4 Auburn
5 Alabama
6 LSU
7 UCLA
8 Michigan
9 Arizona
10 Texas A&M
11 Tennessee
12 Washington
13 Oregon
14 Utah
15 Louisiana Rajun Cajuns
16 Minnesota
17 James Madison
18 Notre Dame
19 Georgia
20 Missouri
21 Baylor
22 Nebraska
23 South Carolina
24 Kentucky
25 Texas
