OTHER SPORTS

Tennessee softball ranked No. 15 in preseason polls

Rhiannon Potkey
USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee
The Lady Vols team waits at home for Shaliyah Geathers after she hit a home run in the second inning of the SEC conference game March 22, 2015, at Lee Stadium in Knoxville.

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