Alabama Softball Finishes Fourth In Poll

The Alabama softball team completed its most successful season in school history with a fourth-place ranking in both the USA Softball/ESPN.com poll and the USA Today/NFCA rankings that were released on Tuesday afternoon.

Alabama posted a 58-8 overall record and reached the semifinal round of the Women’s College World Series. It marked the highest finish in school history, surpassing four seventh-place finishes in 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2006.

The Tide posted a 2-2 record in Oklahoma City at the WCWS with wins over two-time defending national champion Arizona and Louisiana-Lafayette. Alabama had a 25-3 record in SEC play and captured the SEC Western Division title.

Arizona State defeated Texas A&M with a two-game sweep in the WCWS championship series to finish a unanimous No. 1. The Aggies were second with Florida ranked third and UCLA fifth.

Alabama garnered 436 points in the USA Softball/ESPN.com poll, 21 points behind Florida for the No. 3 spot. The Tide trailed the Gators by 36 points in the USA Today/NFCA rankings with 655 points to UF’s 691. The Crimson Tide finished 27 points ahead of UCLA in the USA Softball ESPN.com poll and 35 points in front of the Bruins in the USA Today/NFCA rankings.