University of Tennessee Athletics
UT Ranks #14 In USA SB Preseason Poll
January 27, 2015 | Softball
Preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll
OKLAHOMA CITY - The Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball ranked Tennessee at No. 14 in its 2015 preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll.
Tennessee has been ranked 12-straight USA Softball preseason polls, dating back to 2004. UT has been ranked inside the top 20 in the last 11 preseason polls and inside the top 15 in 10 of the last 11.
Defending national champion Florida starts the year at No. 1, garnering 15 first-place votes. Oregon, Oklahoma, Alabama and Florida State rounded out the top five, in that order.
Seven of the eight teams that competed in the 2014 NCAA WCWS will start the 2015 season in the Top 10. The Southeastern Conference led the way with nine teams ranked in the preseason Top 25 - No. 1 Florida, No. 4 Alabama, No. 7 Kentucky, No. 10 Georgia, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 17 Missouri, No. 18 LSU, No. 19 Auburn and No. 24 Texas A&M.
Tennessee is also ranked No. 13 in the 2015 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25, which was released on Jan. 20.
UT finished the 2014 season ranked No. 11 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 and No. 12 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25.
The Lady Vols went 46-12 in 2014 and played in its seventh NCAA Super Regional. The Lady Vols collected just about every major award in collegiate softball in 2014 and return 2014 NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Co-Winner and All-American Annie Aldrete. Tennessee's 2015 roster features 10 returning veterans and eight newcomers.
Tennessee begins its 2015 season against Ohio on Feb. 6 in the Kennesaw State Tournament in Kennesaw, Ga. UT's home opener is Feb. 24 against Georgia Tech. The Lady Vols' first SEC home series is March 20-22 against Missouri.
Season tickets are now on sale at UTTIX.com. They can also be purchased by calling the Tennessee ticket office at 865-656-1200 or by visiting Thompson-Boling Arena's street-level ticket office on Phillip Fulmer Way.
Tennessee is hosting its annual Meet & Greet on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 3-5 p.m. at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. Admission to the event is free and the team will sign autographs.
| Preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll | |||||||||||
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | 2014 Final | |||||||
| 1 | Florida (15) | 52-12 | 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 | |||||||
NOTE: First-place votes in parentheses
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)
