ASU, Washington tie for first in softball coaches poll
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - Forecasting another season of dominance on the diamond, ARIZONA STATE and WASHINGTON tied for first in the preseason polling of the Pac-12 softball coaches, as announced by the Conference today. It is only the fourth time in the history of the coaches poll that two teams have tied for first, as ARIZONA and UCLA were picked to split the title three times previously (2011, 2002 and 2001).
The Sun Devils and the Huskies both received 60 points, with Arizona State earning five first-place votes and Washington earning four. Both teams are ranked in the top 10 of the USA Today/NFCA and the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason polls, with Washington coming in at third and fifth respectively and Arizona State placing seventh in both. ASU and UW were the only two Pac-12 teams to advance to the Women’s College World Series last year, with the Huskies finishing third overall in the postseason.
OREGON followed at third in the coaches poll, accumulating 48 total points. UCLA came in a mere six points behind the Ducks, garnering 38 points to come in at fourth. Even closer, STANFORD received 38 points to finish four points behind the Bruins at fifth in the poll. ARIZONA collected 28 points for a sixth-place standing, while CALIFORNIA holds the seventh spot with 18 points. Both OREGON STATE and UTAH tied for eighth place with 15 points each.
Last season, eight of the nine Pac-12 squads earned berths to the NCAA Tournament, reflecting the dominance of Conference softball as 23 of a possible 32 national titles have been claimed by Pac-12 teams. Fans can see more of Pac-12 softball than ever before, as the Pac-12 Networks and other television affiliates are scheduled to broadcast a record 69 live games. For more information, including a full TV schedule, visit www.pac-12.com.
2014 Pac-12 Softball Coaches Poll
1. Arizona State, 60
Washington, 60
3. Oregon, 48
4. UCLA, 42
5. Stanford, 38
6. Arizona, 28
7. California, 18
8. Oregon State, 15
Utah, 15