Tennessee softball ranked No. 15 in preseason polls
The Tennessee softball team will start the season ranked No. 15.
The Vols were one of nine SEC teams ranked in the 2017 USA Today/NFCA Division I Preseason Coaches and ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 polls released on Tuesday.
Defending champion Oklahoma was the unanimous No. 1 selection in both polls and Women's College Word Series runner-up Auburn was No. 2.
In the USA Today/NFCA poll, Florida State is No. 3 and Florida and LSU are tied at No. 4. Michigan, Alabama, UCLA, Oregon and Arizona round out the top 10.
In the ESPN.com/USA Softball, Florida is No. 3, Florida State is No. 4 and LSU is No. 5. Michigan, Alabama, UCLA, Oregon and Georgia round out the top 10.
The SEC led all conferences in both polls with nine teams ranked. In the USA Today/NFCA poll, Georgia is No. 12, Missouri is No. 17, Texas A&M is No. 19 and Kentucky is No. 20. In the ESPN.com/USA Softball, Texas A&M is No. 18, Missouri is No. 19. Kentucky is No. 20
The USA Today/NFCA Division I poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I coaches, one representing each conference.
The ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate poll is voted on by coaching representatives of 10 Division I Conferences in the 15 ASA/USA Softball Regions as well as members of the national and local media who consistently cover Division I softball across the country.
USA Today/NFCA Division I preseason Top 25 softball poll
1. Oklahoma
2. Auburn
3. Florida State
t4. Florida
t4. LSU
6. Michigan
7. Alabama
8. UCLA
9. Oregon
10. Arizona
11. Louisiana-Lafayette
12. Georgia
13. Washington
14. James Madison
15. Tennessee
16. Minnesota
17. Missouri
18. Utah
19. Texas A&M
20. Kentucky
21. Baylor
22. Notre Dame
23. Florida Atlantic
24. Fresno State
25. USF
ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate preseason Top 25
1. Oklahoma
2. Auburn
3. Florida
4. Florida State
5. LSU
6. Michigan
7. Alabama
8. UCLA
9. Oregon
10. Georgia
11. Louisiana-Lafeyette
12. Arizona
13. Washington
14. Minnesota
15. Tennessee
16. James Madison
17. Utah
18. Texas A&M
19. Missouri
20. Kentucky
21. Baylor
22. Notre Dame
23. Florida Atlantic
t24. California
t24. USF