LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Following a dominant six-win week, Florida State continued its hold on the No. 1 spot as the top eight programs remained the same in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll, announced the Association on Tuesday morning. Joining the poll for the first time since 2009 is No. 25 Cal Poly, while Arkansas returns at No. 24, its first ranking since 2013.
Including the Seminoles (28-1-1), the top eight teams combined to go 36-0 last week, posting 17 shutouts, 12 run-rule victories and outscoring their opposition, 251-32. Grabbing 24 first-place votes and 786 points, FSU rolled to six victories four via shutout, three of which came in its three-game ACC sweep of Notre Dame (6-0, 6-0, 16-0) to extend their winning streak to 14 and undefeated streak 19 games.
No. 2 Florida, which picked up two first-place votes and 761 points, had an equally impressive week, defeating North Dakota State, 13-0 before trumping RV South Carolina on the road (6-0, 13-1, 10-0). With three more shutouts, the Gators (26-1), who are riding an 18-game winning streak, lowered their NCAA-best ERA to 0.56.
No. 3 Oregon continued its undefeated start with a three-game Pac-12 sweep of then-No. 23 California (5-1, 2-1, 10-2). The Ducks (27-0) received five first-place votes and 738 points. In its final non-conference tournament of the season, No. 4 Auburn posted five wins in Clearwater, Fla.
In other Pac-12 openers, No. 5 Arizona and No. 6 Washington (24-3) posted sweeps over RV Oregon State and No. 21 Arizona State, respectively. The Wildcats (29-1) also picked up wins over then No. 9 Oklahoma (4-3) and Long Beach State (4-0) to close out LBSU’s tournament.
No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 8 each earned four road wins. The Aggies (25-2) toppled Memphis (14-0) before earning a three-game SEC sweep of then-No. 22 Ole Miss (4-2, 8-0, 3-1), while the Gophers (25-2) wrapped up a nine-game west coach spring break trip with victories over RV Oregon State (6-0), then-No. 23 California (10-0) and two at Pacific (10-0, 12-1).
Joining the top-10 this week are No. 9 Alabama and No. 10 James Madison. The Crimson Tide (28-3), who received the final first-place vote, went 4-1 last week posting non-conference shutouts of Winthrop (1-0) and Georgia Southern (9-0) before taking two-of-three at RV Mississippi State (11-3, 0-1, 3-0). The Dukes (24-3), who own Division I’s second-best ERA (0.83), blanked Binghamton, Buffalo and host Maryland to bring their season shutout total to 17.
The Razorbacks (19-6), who were last ranked 25th in the May 7, 2013 poll, went 2-2 last week earning two SEC wins over then-No. 15 Tennessee, while the Mustangs (23-7) enjoyed a 6-0 week, including two 3-1 triumphs over then-No. 9 Oklahoma. In 2009, Cal Poly was ranked the final five weeks of the regular season, achieving a high mark of No. 21 on April 28.
The 2017 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference. Records reflect games played through March 19.
2017 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll
Week 6 – March 21, 2017
Dropped Out: No. 23 California, No. 25 BYU
New to Poll: No. 24 Arkansas, No. 25 Cal Poly
Receiving Votes: BYU (48), California (40), North Carolina (23), Ohio State (12), Missouri (11), SIUE (8), Texas (7), Mississippi State (6), Marshall (5), Tulsa (4), South Carolina (4), Saint Francis (Pa.) (3), Florida International (2), Louisville (2), Fresno State (1).
The USA Today/NFCA Division I Coaches Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference.