Contenders vs. Pretenders: 7 Things You Need To Know From College Softball

Contenders vs. Pretenders: 7 Things You Need To Know From College Softball

College softball's top stories in SEC, Pac-12, ACC, and Big 10

May 1, 2017 by James Caldwell
Here's The Deal Episode 4: SEC vs Pac-12
As the calendar turns from April to May in college softball, it's time to start thinking about the contenders and pretenders for conference titles and the NCAA Tournament.

1. Florida Dominates Tennessee for 18 Innings

No. 1 Florida dominated No. 8 Tennessee for two-and-a-half games over the weekend. But, Tennessee got a timely grand slam to win the third game of their weekend series in Knoxville.

Florida took their dominant pitching on the road for a key SEC series. And, Kelly Barnhill and Delanie Gourley were absolutely magnificent against a Vols team that was on a 20-game winning streak just last weekend.

Barnhill shut out Tennessee 5-0 on Friday and Gourley shut out the Vols 9-0 on Saturday. Then, on Sunday, Florida pitcher Aleshia Ocasio was on her way to a third straight shutout when the fifth inning happened.

With Florida leading 1-0 in Sunday's game, Ocasio recorded the first two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Then, with two outs, Tennessee recorded a single, single, and walk to load the bases.

This set up Megan Geer to deliver a grand slam to left field that suddenly put Tennessee ahead 4-1. The Vols added a fifth run to win the game 5-1.

Before that grand slam, Tennessee had not scored a run in three-and-a-half games, including a shutout loss against LSU last Sunday that ended their winning streak. Also, Florida had not allowed a run in 41 consecutive innings.

One swing of the bat changed the entire complexion of the weekend. Tennessee was able to walk off the field on Sunday feeling a little better about themselves heading into their final weekend series on the road against Texas A&M. And, Florida has to regroup before their big rematch against Florida State this Wednesday in Tallahassee.

One thing is clear, though. Florida's one-two punch of Barnhill and Gourley is on fire right now. That has the Gators primed for another National Title run.

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2. Florida State Regaining Top Form?

Florida State is now on a 9-game winning streak after sweeping North Carolina in their final ACC series of the year. FSU dominated the Tar Heels 3-0, 8-1, and 6-2 over the weekend to finish the ACC schedule undefeated.

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Since losing to SEC foes Florida and South Carolina in mid-April, the Seminoles have regained their form as one of the top teams in the country and a National Title contender.

Now, they get another shot at in-state rival Florida on Wednesday. What's at stake for FSU? A lot.

For starters, they want national respect again. FSU has dominated inferior competition this season, but they have struggled against top teams out of the ACC.

In this upcoming final week of the regular season, the Seminoles will host Florida before heading across the country to Oregon to face the former No. 1 Ducks in a three-game series. That's four big opportunities to earn respect.

Florida State also wants to finish the 2017 season undefeated at home, which they can accomplish against the Gators. This would be the icing on the cake after setting an ACC record on Sunday by winning 26 consecutive conference games.

Also, Jessica Warren set the program record for Home Runs on Saturday - as a junior. By the end of her senior season, Warren could have the record for good.

After getting back on track, there's a lot on the line for Florida State as they look to finish strong before postseason play.

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3. Auburn: Welcome Back...Maybe

Will Auburn push the drama aside? The SEC power has spent way too much time making the wrong kind of news this season. But, the Tigers are back to their winning ways.

Three players were suspended following drug possession charges on April 20. And, two of those players, Haley Fagan and Makayla Martin, played again on Sunday.

Haley and Makayla did not play on Friday and Saturday, though, when Auburn won the first two games of their weekend series against Mississippi State.

Fagan was allowed to play Sunday on Senior Night. And, Martin returned to the circle on Sunday to complete a weekend sweep against Miss. State.

That situation overshadowed Kasey Cooper becoming the all-time leader in RBIs in SEC history with 266. Cooper was also playing her final home game for the Tigers as she tries to lead by example for an Auburn team that has struggled to keep it all together this season.

We'll find out of the Tigers are truly back on track when they finish the regular season next weekend against in-state rival Alabama.

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SEC Conference Standings
Florida: 20-3
Texas A&M: 15-5
Auburn: 15-6
Tennessee: 14-6
Alabama: 11-8

4. Pac-12 With Five Legit Contenders?

Suddenly, the top teams in the Pac-12 conference look like they can beat anyone in the country.

No. 2 Arizona lost once against in-state rival Arizona State on Saturday, but the Wildcats won the series by taking Friday and Sunday. In Sunday's 8-0 win, the Wildcats hit four home runs in two innings. Included was a grand slam from Jessie Harper to bring her total to 18 HRs on the season.

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Then, there is No. 6 Oregon. The Ducks had a rough 3-6 stretch after starting the season undefeated. But, now they have won four in a row after sweeping in-state rival Oregon State over the weekend. The Ducks outscored the Beavers 22-2 in three games, flashing back to earlier in the season when they dominated opponents with hitting and pitching.

The No. 9 Washington Huskies are also looking sharp again. After a slow start in conference, the Huskies are now 11-7 in the Pac-12 and have won seven games in a row overall. Washington traveled to Cal-Berkeley over the weekend and won three very close games 4-0, 4-2, and 3-2. They're not blowing out anyone right now, but they're finding ways to win games.

And, watch out for No. 12 UCLA. The Bruins have now won eight in a row overall after sweeping Stanford in Palo Alto. UCLA scored 27 runs during the weekend series, but they also gave up 14 runs. The next big test is this weekend when they host Arizona in what should be an epic series.

The wild card in the Pac-12 is Utah, which has hardly played in the last two weeks. After shocking the country by taking a weekend series against Arizona in mid-April, the Utes won two-out-of-three against Arizona State two weekends ago, but they have not played since. Their next conference series are on the road against Oregon State and at home against Washington. We'll find out more about the Utes as a pretender or contender by the middle of the month.

Pac 12 Standings
Arizona: 17-4
Utah: 12-4
Oregon: 14-6
Washington: 11-7
UCLA: 11-7

5. Minnesota Wins 19th Straight

The Minnesota Golden Gophers continue to dismantle Big 10 opponents. The latest opponent was Purdue over the weekend.

The No. 5 team in the country run-ruled the Boilermakers in all three games this weekend. Included was senior pitcher Sara Groenewegen throwing her seventh career no-hitter.

Minnesota has now won 19 in a row, last losing by one run against Illinois exactly one month ago. That loss represents the Gophers' only Big 10 conference loss of the season heading into the final weekend series on the road against Penn State.

Looking at the big picture of this season, the Gophers are on pace to set some program records. Their 48 wins ties a program record, their 19-game winning streak ties a program record, they finished the regular season undefeated at home (16-0), and they just need to beat Penn State twice to win the Big 10 Title outright for the first time since 1991.

Minnesota only received one first place vote in last week's ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll, but it's time for the Gophers to get more respect as a National Title contender. The Gophers could make a lot of noise in the postseason.

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6. Big 12 Update: OU Dominates, Baylor Keeps Pace

Week two of the Big 12 Showdown Series featured Baylor against Oklahoma State. The Bears took two out of three against the Cowgirls to keep pace with Oklahoma atop the Big 12 standings.

Baylor started off their weekend series with a doubleheader sweep on Friday. But, Ok. State beat Baylor 9-4 on Saturday to salvage one win.

Meanwhile, OU traveled to Lubbock and beat down Texas Tech. The Sooners outscored the Red Raiders 30-5 in the weekend series. The first game was close, but Oklahoma won the last two games 12-0 and 14-3.

Oklahoma is clearly the frontrunner in the Big 12 and on their way to another conference title. But, Ok. State has one final chance to make themselves a contender, not a pretender, when they host the Sooners this weekend to close the regular season schedule.

Big 12 Softball Standings
Oklahoma 14-1
Oklahoma State 12-3
Baylor 11-4

7. Will Louisiana and JMU Make Noise in Postseason?

The top mid-major college softball teams this season have been Louisiana and James Madison.

These Top 15 programs are currently on lengthy winning streaks against lesser competition. But, they are dangerous.

Over the weekend, Louisiana won their fourth straight Sun Belt Conference Title by sweeping Coastal Carolina. Meanwhile, James Madison had a great week sweeping ACC school North Carolina in a doubleheader before knocking off Drexel.

JMU has dealt with all kinds of scheduling problems this season, so they are ready to handle whatever postseason situation is thrown their way.

Look out for the Ragin' Cajuns and Dukes making a lot of noise in May.


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