Alabama Softball Enters Season Ranked No. 5 in Preseason Polls

Alabama softball enters the 2016 season ranked No. 5 in both the USA Today/NFCA coaches’ poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball media poll, released Tuesday.

The Crimson Tide received a first place vote in both polls, as did all five of the top ranked teams. Defending national champion Florida sits atop both polls, followed by Michigan, LSU and Auburn. 2015 World Series participants Oregon, UCLA and Tennessee round out the top eight with Oklahoma and Florida State ranked No. 9 and 10, respectively.

In total, eight SEC schools are represented in the top 25, the most of any conference: Florida (1/1), LSU (3), Auburn (4), Alabama (5), Tennessee (8), Georgia (12), Missouri (15) and Kentucky (18). Texas A&M and Mississippi State are both receiving votes outside the top 25.

Twenty-two games against top 25 opponents await Alabama on the 2016 schedule, including out-of-conference matchups against No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 13 Arizona, No. 17 UCF, No. 19 James Madison and No. 25 South Alabama. Alabama finished last season ranked No. 6 in both polls after making its 10th appearance at the Women’s College World Series. The Tide has finished in the Top 10 in 11-straight seasons, stretching back to 2005.

Brickyard season tickets for the 2016 season at Rhoads Stadium are still available at a cost of $45 and can be ordered online at rolltide.com/tickets or by calling the ticket office at (205) 348-BAMA.