Defending national champion Florida is ranked No. 1 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association preseason poll. The Gators received 20 first-place votes, more than double the number for No. 2 Oregon (8). All eight schools that played in last year's Women's College World Series are in the poll's Top 10: Florida, Oregon, Alabama (3), Oklahoma (4), Florida State (5), Kentucky (6), Louisiana-Lafayette (9), and Baylor (10). The other two Top 10 slots are filled by UCLA (7) and Michigan (8).
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