National College Softball Editor Justin McLeod’s “Mid-Major” Top 10 is here following Week 5 action, and there’s some serious shuffling among the top ten!
Western Kentucky moves into the top spot for the first time this season after taking a series win over previously-top-ranked Charlotte to open Conference USA play. The Hilltoppers have lost just four games this year, three to SEC opponents and the middle game of this weekend’s series against Charlotte.
Moving back up to #2 is Boise State, who went 4-1 on a road trip to the south. The Broncos split a doubleheader against Houston in Houston before sweeping a 3-game series against McNeese in Lake Charles. The Broncos are 20-5 on the year and also enjoying a high RPI ranking at this point in the year.
Falling to #3 is Charlotte, who lost three of their last four including a midweek defeat at the hands of Duke and the series loss to WKU. The Niners still boast an impressive overall resume, but struggled in the past seven days.
North Florida makes their debut in the mid-major Top 10 and jumps all the way up to #4 in this week’s rankings. The Ospreys dropped the final game of their ASun series against Florida Gulf Coast on Monday but were 5-1 on the week as a whole. Each of their other losses is to a Power 5 opponent and they were the first ASun team to reach the 20-win mark.
A stalwart of the mid-major top 10, UNLV jumps back into the top five at #5 in this week’s rankings. The Rebels dropped a game to Arizona down in Tucson, but recorded three run-rule victories through the rest of the tournament. Perfect weekends have proved elusive for the Rebels, but they’ve been a quality ball club.
Checking in at #6 in this week’s rankings is USC Upstate, who fall slightly after dropping one game in their conference series against Longwood. The Spartans have only lost twice this season, and rebounded nicely with back-to-back wins to close and win the series over Longwood after dropping the opening game.
After a couple of weeks in the Also Note category, North Texas checks into the mid-major top 10 for the first time this season after sweeping previously-listed Southern Miss in the two teams’ C-USA-opening series. The Mean Green went into Hattiesburg and took three straight games from the Golden Eagles, outscoring their opponents 14-5 in the three-game set.
Weber State falls to #8, but remains in the top 10, after dropping a pair of games this weekend, including defeats at the hands of San Diego State and CSUN. The Wildcats responded later with victories over both teams to split the two-game sets.
Delaware stays put at #9 in this week’s rankings after a doubleheader split against Penn State was their only action in Week 5. The Blue Hens took one from the Big Ten foe, moving to 13-7 on the year. The remainder of the weekend was cancelled due to weather.
Ranked for the first time this season as the top team in the MAC ahead of conference play is Bowling Green, who own a 12-5 record on the year and are the only MAC squad with a win-loss record over .500. The Falcons were 3-1 in week 5, including a two-game split against ACC foe Pittsburgh.
ALSO NOTE:
UNCW checks in at a quality number 11 with a 17-3 overall record… Tarleton is up to 17-6 on the year after a conference sweep over Sam Houston State… Loyola Marymount is on a winning streak, now sitting at 18-10 on the year… New Mexico maintains a quality record, now at 18-7… Central Arkansas is now firmly on the plus side of .500 at 14-8… Oakland is up to 7-6 and maintains their position in the notable section… both Louisiana-Monroe and Troy maintain their positions after both teams won their Sun Belt-opening series’.
