Justin’s College Softball Week 9 “Mid-Major” Top 10

National College Softball Editor Justin McLeod’s “Mid-Major” Top 10 is here following Week 9 action.

The top two in this week’s rankings are as tight as they’ve been… Louisiana and Central Arkansas are both very, very good teams. Both enjoy top-20 spots in the RPI, both sit atop their conference, and both have pulled off wins over quality opponents. The Cajuns and the Bears have quality pitching, scrappy and productive offenses, and are genuinely good teams.

Charlotte holds steady at #3 this week, following a two-win sweep of Middle Tennessee. The Niners are leading Conference USA by a healthy margin and simply need to hold pat the rest of the way to lock in a postseason berth.

A 4-0 keeps Boston in the #4 spot in this week’s rankings; the Terriers are now 6-0 in Patriot League play and also picked up a non-conference win against Harvard on Tuesday. The Terriers’ winning streak now sits at twelve consecutive games.

After falling out of the rankings during an off-week, Boise State jumps back in, all the way to the #5 position this week after an offensive outpouring in a 3-game sweep against New Mexico. The Broncos are finally showing the potential that they were expected to have in the preseason.

McNeese stands pat at #6 despite losing their first conference game, a defeat at the hands of Northwestern State. The Cowgirls still won the series over the Lady Demons and now stand 11-1 in Southland play.

Similarly, Northern Iowa stands firm at #7 in this week’s rankings as they continue to lead the Missouri Valley with a 12-1 mark in league play. The Panthers also dropped their first conference game this weekend, a defeat at the hands of Indiana State, but won the series and took a midweek game over Drake on Tuesday.

Falling to #8 in this week’s ranking is Western Kentucky, who split a doubleheader with UTSA. Persistent rain hampered the teams’ scheduled three-game series and instead, the Hilltoppers wound up splitting the day against the Roadrunners. It’s a bad loss for WKU, but not an irredeemable one.

Checking in at #9 is BYU, who opened West Coast Conference play with a 3-0 record and walloped Utah Valley in a midweek game on Tuesday. The Cougars lost several games to weather early in the season, but now sit at a comfortable 21-9 win-loss record on the year.

Rounding out this week’s MM Top 10, and in the #10 spot for the second week in a row, are the Ohio Bobcats. Ohio dropped a conference series to Central Michigan this weekend, but had built up such a healthy lead that they still sit on top of the MAC standings.

ALSO NOTE:

Utah Tech, quietly, sits atop the WAC standings and the Trailblazers are a notable 24-13 overall on the year… South Dakota State continues doing what they do, now 6-0 in Summit League play and atop the conference standings… Florida Atlantic has snuck up to second place in Conference USA, a half-game ahead of Western Kentucky… don’t look past Southern Illinois or San Diego State in their respective conferences; two potentially-dangerous squads.