Alabama Softball Ranked No. 14 and 15 in Final National Polls before NCAA Tournament

Alabama softball heads into NCAA regional play tied for No. 14 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and ranked No. 15 in the USA Today/NFCA poll, released Tuesday. This week’s polls are the last ones until the conclusion of the Women’s College World Series.

The Crimson Tide moved up two spots in the USA Softball poll into a tie with Louisiana at No. 14 and is ranked No. 15 for the second-straight week in the NFCA poll. Alabama earned a No. 16 national seed for the NCAA Tournament, marking its 13th-straight season hosting a NCAA Regional. Minnesota, the No. 2 seed in the Tuscaloosa Regional, jumped Florida for the top spot in the NFCA poll this week after winning the Big 10 Tournament. Oregon, the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, claims the top spot in the USA Softball poll followed by Florida and Minnesota.

Alabama is one of 10 SEC schools ranked in this week’s top 25. All 13 SEC teams are either ranked or receiving votes in at least one poll. Ranked SEC teams include Florida (2/2), Auburn (8/8), Tennessee (10/10), Texas A&M (12/11), Ole Miss (13/16), Alabama (15/14), LSU (18/19), Kentucky (19/20), South Carolina (24/24) and Georgia (25/RV). Mississippi State, Arkansas and Missouri are each receiving votes outside the top 25.

Alabama hosts the Tuscaloosa regional round this weekend, welcoming Minnesota, Louisiana Tech and Albany to Rhoads Stadium. Action begins on Friday, May 19 with the Golden Gophers facing the Lady Techsters at 1:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU before the Crimson Tide take on the Great Danes at 4 p.m. CT live on SEC Network.