Week 4 of the 2024 college softball season brought lots of action.
Oklahoma’s historic 71-game winning streak came to an end on Sunday against Louisiana. Will that loss affect the Sooners’ previous No. 1 ranking? That wasn’t the only upset this week, as eight ranked teams lost to unranked opponents.
Meanwhile, LSU continued to roll as the nation’s lone undefeated team, and one-loss Texas remained dominant, claiming three mercy-rule wins in the Longhorn Invitational.
So what does all of this mean for this week’s ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate top 25? And who are the top stars right now?
Here’s how the top 25 shakes out, plus players to watch.
Players to watch
Keagan Rothrock, RHP/1B, Florida. The right-handed freshman boasts an 0.67 ERA, the fifth-best mark in the SEC, in 62⅓ innings. Her 74 strikeouts are tied for ninth nationally. She has an 8-2 record and has played a large role in the Gators’ dominant start.
Keagan Rothrock made history last night‼️
🔸35th complete-game no-hitter in program history and first no-hitter by a freshman since 2020.
🔸First freshman to throw a complete-game no-no at KSP Stadium since 2016.#GoGators | @_kea01 pic.twitter.com/WsdPitajRE
— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) February 24, 2024
Reese Atwood, C/1B, Texas. No one is doing it quite like Atwood. She leads the nation with 37 RBIs, is ranked second with 10 home runs and her .527 batting average is the eighth best. Atwood needs eight homers to tie Taylor Hoagland for the Longhorns’ single-season record. Her impressive start has made her a two-time Big 12 Player of the Week. She has a .957 fielding percentage with 39 putouts.
🔥🔥🔥#HookEm | @atwood_reese https://t.co/NGNVwyEKHY pic.twitter.com/etAi32GPKF
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) March 1, 2024
Current top 25 rankings
Here is the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll as of March 5, plus information on each team’s next game.
All times Eastern.
1. Texas (11 first-place votes)
Record: 18-1
Next game: vs. UT Arlington (Wednesday), 7 p.m. on Longhorn Network
2. Oklahoma
Record: 18-1
Next game: vs. Texas A&M Commerce (Wednesday), 7 p.m. on ESPN+
3. LSU
Record: 19-0
Next game: at Kentucky (Friday), 6:30 p.m. on SECN+
4. Duke
Record: 16-1
Next game: at Elon (Tuesday), 5 p.m.
5. Washington
Record: 16-2
Next game: vs. Arizona State (Friday), 9 p.m.
6. Georgia
Record: 15-3
First game: vs. Miami (OH) (Friday), 6 p.m. on SECN+
7. Oklahoma State
Record: 17-2
Next game: vs. Wichita State (Wednesday), 6 p.m. on ESPN+
8. Stanford
Record: 13-4
Next game: vs. Pacific (Wednesday), 7 p.m.
9. Tennessee
Record: 13-4
Next game: at Clemson (Tuesday), 2 p.m. on ACCNX
10. Alabama
Record: 19-1
First game: vs. Florida (Saturday), 3 p.m. on SECN+
11. Clemson
Record: 13-4
Next game: vs. Tennessee (Tuesday), 6 p.m. on ACCNX
12. Missouri
Record: 17-2
Next game: at Kansas City (Wednesday), 5 p.m.
13. Florida
Record: 19-3
Next game: at Alabama (Saturday), 3 p.m. on SECN+
14. Baylor
Record: 11-3
Next game: at Sam Houston (Tuesday), 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
15. Virginia Tech
Record: 15-3-1
Next game: at Eastern Kentucky (Wednesday), 4 p.m. on ESPN+
16. Florida State
Record: 11-4
Next game: vs. Purdue (Friday), 12:15 p.m.
17. California
Record: 19-2
Next game: vs. Saint Mary’s (Tuesday), 6 p.m.
18. UCLA
Record: 11-6
Next game: vs. Utah (Friday), 10 p.m.
19. Texas A&M
Record: 19-2
Next game: vs. North Texas (Wednesday), 7 p.m. on SECN+
20. Arkansas
Record: 17-4
Next game: vs. Nebraska (Thursday), 5 p.m. on SECN+
21. Kentucky
Record: 13-4
Next game: vs. Bellarmine (Wednesday), 5 p.m. on SECN+
22. South Carolina
Record: 18-2
Next game: vs. USC Upstate (Wednesday), 6 p.m. on SECN+
23. Mississippi State
Record: 17-3
Next game: at Ole Miss (Friday), 7 p.m. on SECN+
24. Arizona
Record: 17-3-1
Next game: at Louisville (Tuesday), 5:30 p.m. on ACCNX
25. Auburn
Record: 12-2-1
Next game: vs. Troy (Tuesday), 6:30 p.m. on SECN+
