Softball America's Week Three Composite Rankings

The below rankings are not indicative of the Softball America Top 25. The composite rankings will average all major College Softball polls. RPI and KPI will be incorporated into the polls in weeks to come as new data is in place. All stats include games played from Monday to Sunday each week and do not include Tuesday’s games.

The Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic Lives Up to it’s Name

The Mary Nutter is well known as one of the best tournaments each season. This year was no different. Some of the best games of the year happened this weekend with Oregon and Tennesee, Duke and Nebraska, and UCLA and Duke. In many aspects, it’s a survive and advance mentality early in the season. Having said that, who did enough to make a big move in our week three composite rankings?

The Usual Suspects and a Surprise

Texas had an outstanding week at the plate and showed why they are two of the premier offenses in the country. The Longhorns went 4-1 for the weekend but averaged over 10 runs per game including a win over Arizona in dramatic fashion. Additionally, Texas increased its overall batting average from .360 to .381 this week. Kayden Henry, who was the hero in the win against Arizona, leads the Longhorns in hitting .490 for the year.

The same could be said for Florida who scored in double digits in three of their five games including a 24-run explosion against Iowa State. The Gators improved their average runs per game by over a run this week up to 9.26 per game from 8.14 last week. Freshman Taylor Shumaker continues to turn heads in Gainesville. The Fullerton, Calif. native is leading a loaded lineup with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs.

Alabama could be considered a surprise to this group based on their output from a year ago. But, the Crimson Tide had a nice weekend at the plate scoring 49 runs in five games while going 4-1. Newcomer Audrey Vandagriff is starting the season very hot. Vandagriff is second on the Tide in batting average with a .467 batting average and 19 stolen bases.

Pitching Comes Center Stage in California

The pitching was a big takeaway from the Mary Nutter. UCLA, Duke, and Nebraska were big winners in terms of their pitching staff managing a solid overall weekend. The trio went 13-3 overall over the weekend as each of the teams made great strides.

Jordy Bahl had a 1.40 ERA in three appearances over the week as Nebraska went 3-2 in those games. Bahl brought a no-hitter into the 8th inning but received no run support in a 3-0 loss to Duke.

Comparatively, Cassidy Curd was fantastic throughout the tournament as she did not give up a run in 18 innings of action. The Blue Devils were 5-0 for the weekend. Finally, the Bruins were 5-1 on the weekend with the lone loss coming to Duke. Kaitlyn Terry only surrendered a single run in her appearances over 16 innings getting two wins.

Most Impressive and Most Disappointing

This week’s biggest movers are Duke, Oregon, and Florida Atlantic. The Blue Devils are all over this week’s composite rankings after their Mary Nutter performance. But, they are the most impressive team of the week as they moved up seven spots from 14 to seven. Similarly, Oregon moves up six spots from 19 to 13. The Ducks also went undefeated in the Mary Nutter with impressive wins over Tennessee and San Diego State. As a disclaimer, Florida Atlantic moves back into our top 25 with a 5-0 week. The Owls have an opportunity to pick up a P4 win as they host UCF later today.

It was a tough weekend for the Seminoles. Florida State lost back-to-back home games to Texas A&M and narrowly avoided an upset loss to Southeastern Louisiana. As such Florida State drops from six to 10 in our rankings. Even slightly, Tennessee comes in with a bit of a disappointing weekend in California. The Volunteers only dropped a spot but they struggled at the plate against Oregon and UCLA scoring just three runs in 15 innings of play. It is early, but Tennessee remains the only team ranked in our top 25 without a Quad one win on the season.