Nat'l Fast Pitch (SOFTBALL) Coaches Pre-Season Poll

[LuLu]

http://nfca.org/top25/index.php?cat_id=1

Click the link above to see the poll. Click below to see the schools that take part in softball. There are almost 300.


http://www.nfca.org/fastpitch/?div_id=2

[J-Town Cajun]

I am assuming that the voters are expecting Ashley Brignac to be back and healthy.

What is the latest on her, is she pitching? Can we expect her to start the season? What % can we expect?

[Bankruptcyman]

WOW! Pre season # 6 with as many first place votes as UCLA. Let's hope we find some middle infielders and a couple of newcomers that can hit for power so we can live up to the hype. This kind of pressure feels good.

[skankinCajun]

if that does not get you excited, i do not know what will.

[BrudaCajun]

_ WOW! Pre season # 6 with as many first place votes as UCLA. Let's hope we find some middle infielders and a couple of newcomers that can hit for power so we can live up to the hype. This kind of pressure feels good. _

Codi Runyan is back at full strength. That's my girl, she will hold her side of the infield down along with Verde

[CajunT]

_ I am assuming that the voters are expecting Ashley Brignac to be back and healthy.

What is the latest on her, is she pitching? Can we expect her to start the season? What % can we expect? _

Ashley is throwing harder then last season. They are monitoring he every day she pitches and everything looks good right now.

[Zeebart21]

_ Ashley is throwing harder then last season. The are monitoring every day she pitches and everything looks good right now. _

T, Cuevas.....she gonna be rolling this year?

Man, the "Killer B's" could be nasty this year.

Z

[ulforlife]

Gotta get that national recognition as "Louisiana"

Not sure what's up with the point system but we have more points than aTm and they are ranked ahead of us

[Turbine]

Not sure what's up with the point system but we have more points than aTm and they are ranked ahead of us

OK what am I missing here? The poll I'm looking at has Louisiana ranked 6th with 544 points and the team rankded 5th with 533.

It looks like they have Alabama and UCLA reversed as well.

Does it not go by points? The sheet on the right is ranked by points.

[NewsCopy]

  UL - The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced its 2009 Preseason Softball Poll and Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns debuted on the list at No. 6.

The Cajuns finished the 2008 season at the Women’s College World Series with a final ranking of sixth. Along with the Cajuns, six of the other seven teams in the World Series enter the 2009 campaign ranked in the top 10.

Louisiana was one of three schools to receive a first place vote in the poll.

The Cajuns return eight All-Sun Belt Conference selections and 10 All-Louisiana honorees. In addition, UL returns the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year, Louisiana Pitcher of the Year and Louisiana Freshman of the Year to the roster in 2009.

Ashley Brignac, Donna Bourgeois and Brittany Cuevas are back in the circle to pace the Cajuns’ pitching efforts while Melissa Verde, Lana Bowers and Gabriele Bridges are back to power the offense.

The softball team’s speedsters – Vallie Gaspard, Karli Hubbard and Katie Smith – return as well. The trio combined for 195 base hits in 2008.

Louisiana opens the season on Friday, Feb. 6, as they host Ole Miss in a three-game series at Alfred and Helen Lamson Ragin’ Cajuns Softball Park. The Cajuns will host over 30 games at Lamson Park in 2009 and season tickets are available at the Ragin’ Cajuns box office.

The University of Florida, which set an NCAA record with 70 victories in the 2008 season, was selected as the No. 1. The Gators finished tied for third at last year’s WCWS behind NCAA Division I Champion Arizona State and runner-up Texas A&M. The Sun Devils received half of the available first place votes (15) and are ranked second in the preseason poll.

The USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference. Final 2008 records are shown. First-place votes are in parentheses.

The first 2009 regular season poll will be released on Tuesday, February 10.

RaginCajuns.com

[HoustonCajun]

_ Gotta get that national recognition as "Louisiana"

Not sure what's up with the point system but we have more points than aTm and they are ranked ahead of us _

This is how we are referred to under the Top 25 as stated in the Ultimate College Softball forum. It was great to see us referred to as Louisiana. Let's hope that continues this year and expands to other sports. Although, I noticed on the link given on this forum, they referred to us as Louisiana-Lafayette. We'll see.

USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll -- Preseason
The USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference. Final 2008 records are shown. First-place votes are in parentheses.
Rank Team Record Pts Pvs
1 Florida (14) 70-5 728 3
2 Arizona State (15) 66-5 691 1
3 Alabama 58-8 578 4
4 UCLA (1) 51-9 638 5
5 Texas A&M 57-10 533 2
6 Louisiana (1) 52-15 544 6
7 Arizona 51-19 542 7
8 Michigan 52-8 527 9
9 Northwestern 50-16 511 12
10 Oklahoma 41-14 498 10
11 Stanford 49-15 456 11
12 Tennessee 50-16 302 14
13 Houston 54-11 285 13
14 Fresno State 54-13 280 15
15 DePaul 51-18 279 22
16 Missouri 47-17 270 19
17 California 34-32 255 16
18 North Carolina 50-12-1 222 20
19 LSU 44-18 210 18
20 Virginia Tech 49-19 201 8
21 Washington 30-25-1 193 NR
22 Georgia 46-24 169 17
23 Nevada 44-18 157 21
24 Long Beach State 40-17 108 23
25 San Diego State 44-17 99 24
Others receiving votes:
UMass 68, Mississippi State 46, Iowa 43, South Florida 42, Hofstra 27, Oklahoma State 19, BYU 17, Hawai'i 15, Notre Dame 12, Nebraska 8, Purdue 8, Central Florida 8, Creighton 6, Auburn 6, Oregon 4, Oregon State 4, Jacksonville State 4, East Carolina 4, Louisiana Tech 3, Texas 2, UT-Chattanooga 2. Six schools received one point apiece.

[scotto_25]

We are referred to as "Louisiana" because we are good in this sport! All other sports are bottom dwelling right now.....we are recognized as Louisiana-Lafayette, Lafayette, ULL, etc. in all other sports because we are terrible. Our softball program has made a name for itself on the National level and year in and year out they carry out that tradition......Congrats for being the "only" Louisiana recognized sporting event!