As expected, there was a big shakeup in the Big Ten this week.
I mentioned this on Behind the Plate this week, but I tend to agree with the D1 Softball Rankings more than any of the others. Their Top 25 seems to be more objective and involve the eye test.
The only teams who remained in the same spot as last week are Purdue, Indiana and Michigan State.
1.No. 24 Nebraska
Previous: 3
Record: 14-6
The Huskers went 5-0 in Tucson including a 10-3 win over No. 19 Arizona. Courtney Wallace improved to 8-3 and Katelyn Caneda was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Caneda was 8-for-17 with two doubles, a home run, five RBIs and four runs scored.
"These tears are joy.
Joy from when you come together & play like a team."
–@RhondaRevelle pic.twitter.com/5W3Sc1FFRw
— Nebraska Softball (@HuskerSoftball) March 5, 2023
Up Next: The Huskers continue non-conference play at the Shocker Classic with two games against No. 23 Wichita State and two games against Missouri State. Nebraska will plays its first in-state game at Omaha on March 15.
(Editor’s note: Join Maren and Nate Rohr at Hail Varsity Club on Wednesday, March 15 following Nebraska’s matchup with Omaha. There will be softball trivia and more for the whole family to enjoy.)
2. No. 25 Maryland
Previous: 1
Record: 15-4
The Terps honestly dropped one spot because they didn’t play a ranked opponent. They went 5-0 against Saint Joseph’s, East Carolina and Monmouth. They will face a hard test this weekend at the Liberty Tournament when they close out the weekend against the Liberty Flames.
𝙋𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩
Lets take a 👀 back on Trinity's perfect game against Texas A&M Commerce pic.twitter.com/K4XLu46iQy
— Maryland Softball (@TerpsSoftball) March 9, 2023
Up Next: Two games against Fairfield and single games against Ball State, Sacred Heart and Liberty awaits Maryland.
3. RV Northwestern
Previous: 2
Record: 9-7
A 5-2 loss to Toledo caused Northwestern to drop in this week’s power rankings. Hannah Cady provided the offense with a two-run homer and Sydney Supple fell to 1-3 with the loss. She gave up three runs, two earned, on four hits in just over two innings of work. She walked one and struck out one.
Up Next: The Wildcats are off this weekend.
4. Illinois
Previous: 9
Record: 12-6
Illinois went 3-1 with wins against North Carolina A&T, UNC Wilmington and Columbia. The Illini lost to South Carolina 4-1. Avrey Steiner record-career hit No. 199 with a 3-for-4 performance against Columbia. The infielder struggled all weekend going 0-for-9 in the first three games.
Up Next: The USF Tournament will bring five games against Florida Gulf Coast, South Florida (twice), Marist and Saint Francis (PA). Illinois will play at Mizzou on Tuesday in a midweek doubleheader.
5. Minnesota
Previous: 4
Record: 11-9
The Gophers earned a 4-1 win against No. 19 Oregon and a 7-4 win against RV Cal State Fullerton. They finished 3-3 on the weekend with a 9-6 loss to Seattle and 2-1 loss at San Diego State.
Up Next: Minnesota is set to host a historic weekend. The Gopher Indoor Classic at U.S. Bank Stadium will host games against North Dakota State, Central Michigan, Idaho State, Drake and St. Thomas.
6. Rutgers
Previous: 8
Record: 16-4
Rutgers went 4-1 with a loss to Texas Tech in Lubbock. Kyleigh Sand extended her on-base streak to 56 games and is three games away from tying the Big Ten record of 59 which was set by Adrienne Monka of Northwestern in 2011-12.
Up next: The Scarlet Knights will face their first ranked competition this weekend at the Bubly Invitational. They will play No. 13 Florida, RV Louisiana and Mercer. They will stay in Florida and play RV Central Florida in a midweek doubleheader on Tuesday.
7. Iowa
Previous: 6
Record: 11-8
Iowa went 3-2 with losses to South Dakota and Omaha. The Hawkeyes beat Alcorn State, Omaha and Central Arkansas. The split against Omaha didn’t hurt Iowa in the rankings. The loss was to Kam Meyer who is one the top pitchers in the country. The win against UCA was huge as UCA beat No. 9 Arkansas in a midweek contest.
Up Next: Iowa heads to The Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Florida. The Hawkeyes will face South Alabama, UT Chattanooga, Princeton, Lehigh, Bucknell and Lafayette.
8. Wisconsin
Previous: 11
Record: 10-6
Wisconsin went 4-0 and out scored their opponents 31-3. The Badgers are riding an eight-game winning streak and head coach Yvette Healy reached career win No. 500. Junior pitcher Gabi Salo picked up two wins improved to 3-0 and has an earned run average of 0.69 in 20.1 innings so far this season.
Up next: The Badgers will be tested in every game this weekend at the Bevo Classic in Austin. The Badgers will play Texas State, No. 11 Texas and No. 10 Alabama.
9. Penn State
Previous: 10
Record: 12-3
Penn State went 3-0 with one cancellation over the weekend. The Nittany Lion outscored opponents 27-3 and began weekend play on Thursday with two wins against Florida Gulf Coast and South Florida.
Up Next: Three more games remain on the schedule this weekend against St. Francis (PA), Marist and another matchup against FGCU.
10. Ohio State
Previous: 7
Record: 6-6
Ohio State had its lone week off for the season.
Up Next: The Buckeyes head to Conway, S.C. and will play Coastal Carolina, Canisius and Houston Christian. They will played midweeks at Charleston Southern and College of Charleston on Tuesday and Wednesday.
11. Michigan
Previous: 5
Record: 11-10
Michigan went 3-2 at the Judi Garman with losses to No. 2 UCLA and No. 8 LSU. This isn’t the same Michigan program we are used to seeing in years past. In general, the Wolverines are beating teams they should beat and losing to ranked opponents with a couple of exceptions.
On Thursday, graduates student Lexie Blair established a new program record with her 62nd career double.
The record breaker. No. 6️⃣2️⃣@lexieeblairr | #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/LxjwUxbNEJ
(Video) Wisconsin at Nebraska | Big Ten Softball | Apr. 21, 2023 | B1G+ Plus Encore— Michigan Softball (@umichsoftball) March 9, 2023
Up Next: Weather has forced the Wolverines to alter their schedule for the weekend. They now have the weekend off and will host Bowling Green on Wednesday.
12. Purdue
Previous: 12
Record: 11-6
Purdue dropped the first game of the weekend to North Carolina and then won the next three. Shortstop Tyrina Jones was named Big Ten Player of the Week following her stellar weekend. She hit .533 with two homers and six RBIs. She has scored a run in 12 of the last 13 games and recorded one RBI in three straight contests. She now has 21 RBIs this season.
Up Next: The Boilermakers are in Fullerton, California, this weekend for the Louisville Slugger Invitational. The first two games have been cancelled but they have three games against Long Beach State, Weber State and Sacramento State. They will travel to to Starkville, Mississippi, for a midweek with Mississippi State on Wednesday.
13. Indiana
Previous: 13
Record: 9-9
Indiana finished the weekend 3-1. In the final game against IUPUI, the Hoosiers stole seven bases for a season total of 38 and tying the Big Ten record for most stolen bases in a single game this season. Sophomore pitcher Brianna Copeland implored to 3-0.
Up Next: Indiana heads to Nashville, Tennessee, for the Lipcomb Tournament and will play Evansville, Lipscomb and Akron.
14. Michigan State
Previous: 14
Record: 7-12
The Spartans finished the ASU Classic 1-4 with the lone win coming against Houston. Freshman Kayla Bane hit her first career home run in 3-2 loss to Boise State. The long ball was also her first career hit and the game was her first career start.
Up Next: MSU stayed on the West Coast and will play in the Torero Classic and face off against San Diego, Yale and Western Carolina.
FAQs
What are the standings in the Big Ten softball? ›
| School | School | Conf |
|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | Northwestern | 20-3 |
| Indiana | Indiana | 18-5 |
| Minnesota | Minnesota | 17-6 |
| Nebraska | Nebraska | 13-10 |
URBANA, Ill. (May 13, 2023) – Maeve Nelson roped a game-winning single to right-center field in the bottom of the seventh inning, capping a two-run rally that lifted top-seeded Northwestern University to a 2-1 victory over No.
How many teams make the Big 10 softball tournament? ›The tournament will once again feature a 12-team, four-day, single-elimination format, with the top four seeds earning byes into the quarterfinals.
Where is the Big 10 softball tournament? ›(May 7, 2023) – The Big Ten Conference has announced the full 12-team, single-elimination bracket for the 24th Big Ten Softball Tournament that will take place May 10-13 at the University of Illinois' Eichelberger Field in Urbana, Illinois. Northwestern (35-11, 20-3 Big Ten) is the No.
Who won the Big 10 softball tournament? ›The 2023 Big Ten softball tournament was held at Eichelberger Field in Champaign, Illinois from May 10 through May 13, 2023. As the tournament winner, Northwestern earned the Big Ten Conference's automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division I softball tournament. All games of the tournament were aired on BTN.
What does RPI mean in softball? ›The rating percentage index, commonly known as the RPI, is a quantity used to rank sports teams based upon a team's wins and losses and its strength of schedule. It is one of the sports rating systems by which NCAA basketball, baseball, softball, hockey, soccer, lacrosse, and volleyball teams are ranked.
Who won the softball World Series? ›The Massapequa International 12 and under girls team just won the World Series. CBS New York went to a watch party in Massapequa Park on Sunday.
What team won softball World Series? ›Oklahoma softball wins third consecutive national title
The Sooners have now won three consecutive national titles, a feat that just one other Division I softball program has ever accomplished. UCLA did it from 1988 to 1990. The 2023 title is Oklahoma's fifth in seven seasons and sixth in the past 10.
🏆 Oklahoma wins 2023 DI softball national championship
With a 3-1 win over Florida State in Game 2 of the best-of-3 Women's College World Series Finals, No. 1 Oklahoma secured its third straight national title while extending their record-setting winning streak to 53 games.
Established back in 1983, the Grove City Alumni Tournament is the World's Largest Alumni Softball Tournament, with nearly 100 teams from Grove City High School.
How many teams make it to the College World Series in softball? ›
The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament.
How many softball teams make it to the World Series? ›Eight teams compete in a double-elimination format. The final two teams then play a best-of-three series for the national championship.
Is the Big 10 tournament single elimination? ›ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced Saturday the bracket for the 2023 Big Ten Baseball Tournament, scheduled for May 23-28 at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Neb. The eight-team, double-elimination tournament will determine the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
How many championships has OU softball won? ›The Sooners have won seven Women's College World Series championships, fifteen Big 12 regular-season championships and eight Big 12 Conference Tournament championships.
Where is the World Series of softball held? ›How to get tickets for the Women's College World Series. You can purchase tickets for the WCWS here. The Women's College World Series is played at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Who is number 1 in women's college softball? ›There are 64 teams that make the championship field. Of those 64, 32 receive automatic bids by winning their conference championships. The remaining best 32 teams are selected by the DI Softball Committee.
How many teams go to softball World Series? ›A guide to the NCAA softball championship. The best teams in college softball are gathering in Oklahoma City for the Women's College World Series. Eight teams will compete for the national championship.