Skip to main content

How Leading Teams Did -- Week 1

The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) has put out this document, showing how all of the nation's leading teams did in their games from February 3-9. Summaries are available for all teams in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25, plus all teams that received votes in the poll but didn't make the Top 25. I assume the NFCA will do this every week, so interested readers might want to check the NFCA website every Sunday night. Here are some noteworthy results from this weekend's play:

  • Defending NCAA champion and preseason No. 2 Oklahoma losing its first two games of the season, to Kentucky and Cal State Fullerton.
  • No. 4 Florida scoring a stunning come-from-behind victory over No. 5 Michigan. As shown in the play-by-play sheet (under the box score), the Gators were down to their final out in the top of the seventh, with one runner on base and trailing 4-0. However, Florida then put together three hits, a hit-batter, a walk, and another hit to tie the game 4-4. After the Wolverines failed to score in their half of the seventh, the teams went to extra innings, where UF scored five times in the top of the eighth. UM went quietly in the bottom half, giving the Gators a 9-4 win.
  • No. 8 Oregon losing to Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo)
  • No. 9 Nebraska and No. 15 Florida State splitting a pair.
  • No. 10 Texas losing to Northern Iowa and Purdue.

Popular posts from this blog

Jordy Bahl Transferring from Oklahoma to Nebraska

The college softball world has thrown us a "Curve Bahl," if you will. Such is the unexpected news that Oklahoma ace Jordy Bahl has announced that she will transfer to the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Bahl is from the Omaha suburb of Papillion, Nebraska. Three thoughts jump out at me: Bahl was absolutely indispensable to the Sooners' 61-1 national championship season, coming up with numerous clutch strikeouts in tight tournament games against Clemson (super-regionals, Game 2 ) and Stanford ( WCWS semifinals ).    OU benefited greatly this season via the transfer portal, bringing in Haley Lee  from Texas A&M,  Alex Storako from Michigan, and Cydney Sanders and Alynah Torres from Arizona State. Bahl's transfer is the first major one in the modern portal era (to my knowledge) in the other direction. Nebraska becomes an instant national championship contender, in my mind. Other players around the country may find it attractive to join Bahl in Lincoln but even if

2024 Opening Weekend

SATURDAY Texas won its second game vs. UCLA a little more decisively than it won its first contest with the Bruins -- 16-0 . Kentucky defeated No. 3 Stanford for the second day in a row, but the Wildcats fell to San Diego State later in the day. Texas Tech dropped a heartbreaker at Florida State, as the Seminoles scored two in the bottom of the seventh for a 9-8 victory. FSU trailed 8-7 with two on and two out in the bottom of the seventh before getting a walk to load the bases and a two-run single to finish it off ( video ).  Michigan earned one of its best wins in a while by edging No. 18 Florida , 2-1. FRIDAY No. 1 Oklahoma had a close call with No. 10 Washington Friday night. The Sooners scored a single run in the top of the sixth to tie the game and a go-ahead run in the eighth, en route to a 4-3 victory over the Huskies in the Puerto Vallarta tournament. No. 5 Texas has held off No. 8 UCLA by a 3-2 score Friday night in Los Angeles. The Longhorns led 3-0 going into the botto

2023 WCWS -- Day 4

Two elimination games are scheduled for today: Stanford vs. Washington, in an all-Pac 12 matchup (2:00 pm Central, ABC) and Oklahoma State vs. Tennessee (6 pm, ESPN2). Oklahoma State and Tennessee underway, scoreless as the Cowgirls bat in the top of the second... A two-out walk gives OSU runners at first and second... Full count... Soft pop-up to pitcher ends Cowgirl threat... Tennessee SS Mackenzie Donihoo with nice catch going back into shallow left ( video )... Still scoreless as Vols come up B3... Walk, steal, and Zaida Puni oppo double score first run, UT leads 1-0... Walk and single increase Vols' lead to 2-0 . Lexi Kilfoyl replacing Kelly Maxwell in the circle for Cowgirls... Tennessee with runners at second and third with one out... Walk to load bases... Grounder back to pitcher, gets force at the plate... Another grounder to the pitcher, this time she throws batter out at first... T4, OSU two-out rally, with single and double but runner thrown out at the plate ... Tennes