National College Softball Editor Justin McLeod’s “Mid-Major” Top 10 is here following Week 8 action.
Stop me if this shocks you, but Louisiana maintains the top spot in the MM Top 10 after week 8. The Cajuns went into Harrisonburg, Virginia and swept past James Madison, three solid wins in conference play for the continually-solid Ragin Cajuns.
Similarly, Central Arkansas sticks at the #2 spot in this week’s rankings. The Bears swept a conference series against Jacksonville and earned a bases-loaded walk to beat Tulsa in a midweek game. The Bears are a top-20 team in the RPI for the second consecutive week.
Charlotte moves up to #3 after winning a conference series against Western Kentucky in Bowling Green. The Niners lost game one of the series but rebounded to take the series with consecutive wins to close the weekend. The wins were hugely important for Charlotte’s conference championship hopes.
Checking in at #4, down one spot from last week for no reason of their own doing, is Boston. The Terriers actually went 5-0 in a three-day time span, including sweeping a conference series against Holy Cross. BU has looked very good both offensively and in the circle.
Despite losing the conference series to Charlotte, Western Kentucky sticks at #5 in this week’s rankings. The Hilltoppers won the first game against the Niners and still boast a respectable 6-3 record in conference play.
McNeese, undefeated in Southland play, checks in at #6 in this week’s rankings. The Cowgirls have won 13 of their last 16, with their only losses coming to LSU, Louisiana-Lafayette, and in the middle game of a three-game set against Louisiana-Monroe.
Leading the Missouri Valley, also with an undefeated conference record, and checking in at #7 is Northern Iowa. The Panthers dropped a tight midweek game against Missouri last week, then came back with a high-scoring three-game sweep of Bradley.
The first of three newcomers to the MM Top 10, Campbell checks in at #8 in this week’s rankings. The Fighting Camels have put together a solid start to their season, own a top-50 RPI, and just blew past previously-ranked Presbyterian in a Big South series.
South Alabama checks in at #9 in this week’s rankings, fresh off a three-game sweep of Louisiana-Monroe and boasting a 25-10 overall record. Olivia Lackie has really thrived as the Jags’ ace and has mowed down the competition in the latter two-thirds of the season.
Rounding out the MM Top 10 following week 8 is MAC-leading Ohio. The Bobcats struggled some to start the year, but have come into their own in conference play. Now boasting a 1o-2 record against MAC opponents, the Bobcats swept a weekend series with Ball State and pulled off a 1-0, extra-inning victory over in-state rival Ohio State on Tuesday night.
ALSO NOTE:
Grand Canyon dropped a WAC series to New Mexico State, dropping them out of the MM Top 10 for the first time this season… UMBC enjoyed a series sweep over previosuly-noted Binghamton in America East play… Seton Hall is on a hot 9-3 start in Big East play, a large feather in the Pirates’ cap… Troy has done well in their first year with a new head coach, now up to 26 wins on the season… BYU went 2-2 during a non-conference tournament in Baton Rouge, but are 17-9 overall and have better talent than their record indicates.
