South Carolina softball now No. 1 in RPI rankings, features prominently in other polls
South Carolina softball coach Ashley Chastain Woodard’s team won another SEC series this weekend. USC took two of three from the Ole Miss Rebels in Columbia, relying on strong pitching performances and clutch hits. The Gamecocks’ efforts moved their overall record to 30-8, and their SEC mark to 6-6.
South Carolina now occupies the top spot in the RPI rankings. The team’s impressive resume is bolstered by its difficult strength of schedule and ranked series wins over Virginia, Duke, LSU, Texas Tech, Georgia, and Ole Miss.
The Gamecocks have won four series in a row against ranked opponents and will have another chance next weekend.
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Along with their RPI crown, South Carolina softball features prominently in several other national rankings. However, for reasons unknown, the Gamecocks are no longer a consensus top-10 team. In all, the team’s composite ranking went down as they stayed put in two polls, moved up a spot in one other, and dropped two in another.
D1Softball didn’t move Chastain Woodard’s team in this week’s ranking. However, with the Gamecocks sitting in the No. 6 spot, upward mobility doesn’t come easily. This is the second week in a row that Carolina is 6th according to the outlet.
South Carolina is also No. 6 in Softball America’s rankings update. The top-25 poll moved USC up one spot from No. 7 a week ago.
The ESPN.com and USA Softball top-25 ranked the Gamecocks No. 9 last week. Now, the poll considers Carolina to be college softball’s 11th-best team. The two-spot drop is surprising considering USC’s ranked series win over the weekend.
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South Carolina softball is No. 10 in the USA Today/NFCA rankings. The garnet and black occupied the same spot last week.
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Once again, South Carolina will play an in-state mid-week opponent before facing off with a ranked SEC foe. First, the Gamecocks will play against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers in Columbia. Then, a three-game series in Fayetteville against the Arkansas Razorbacks is on the docket.
On Wednesday night, the Gamecocks will take on CSU at Beckham Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., and the game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
On Friday, the Gamecocks and Razorbacks will begin their series against Arkansas. The middle game of the series is the only one that will broadcast on traditional television, but all three will be available via streaming. The Hogs are a consensus top-13 team, and one poll (USA Today/ESPN.com) actually has them ahead of the Gamecocks.
Game one will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Friday and will stream on SEC Network+. Saturday’s game two will broadcast on SEC Network and will start at 8:00 p.m. The finale on Sunday begins at 2:00 p.m. and will stream on SEC Network+.
