Jan. 30, 2018
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Auburn softball team will begin the 2018 season ranked No. 13 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Preseason Coaches Poll announced on Tuesday.
The Tigers are one of nine SEC teams featured in the poll including No. 2 Florida, No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 8 LSU, No. 11 Alabama, No. 12 Tennessee, No. 14 Ole Miss, No. 17 Kentucky and No. 25 Georgia.
Auburn will once again face a tough schedule in 2018, battling six teams in the annual preseason poll. The Tigers will host three of those teams at Jane B. Moore Field as Alabama (Mar. 16-18), Kentucky (Mar. 23-25) and Tennessee (Apr. 6-8) are slated to travel to the Plains.
The three remaining ranked meetings are conference-game road tilts with LSU (Mar. 9-11), Ole Miss (Mar. 30-Apr. 1) and Missouri (Apr. 13-15).
Auburn hosts Marshall Feb. 8, in the first of seven-consecutive home games to open the season.
2018 USA Today/NFCA Div. I Top 25 Coaches Poll
Rank | School (1st Place Votes) | Totals | 2017 Record | Final 2017 Ranking |
1 | Oklahoma (31) | 799 | 61-9 | 1 |
2 | Florida (1) | 762 | 58-10 | 2 |
3 | Oregon | 719 | 54-8 | 4 |
4 | Washington | 674 | 50-14 | 3 |
5 | UCLA | 645 | 48-15 | 5 |
6 | Texas A&M | 571 | 47-13 | 8 |
7 | Arizona | 555 | 52-9 | 9 |
8 | LSU | 550 | 48-22 | 6 |
9 | Florida State | 545 | 55-8-1 | 10 |
10 | Baylor | 530 | 48-15 | 7 |
11 | Alabama | 484 | 46-18 | 12 |
12 | Tennessee | 452 | 48-12 | 11 |
13 | Auburn | 411 | 49-12 | 13 |
14 | Ole Miss | 361 | 43-20 | 16 |
15 | Utah | 323 | 37-16 | 14 |
16 | Minnesota | 311 | 56-5 | 15 |
17 | Kentucky | 300 | 39-19 | 17 |
18 | Michigan | 252 | 43-13-1 | 20 |
19 | BYU | 196 | 46-13 | 21 |
20 | Tulsa | 165 | 41-17 | 22 |
21 | James Madison | 159 | 52-8 | 18 |
22 | Louisiana | 121 | 47-8 | 19 |
23 | Arizona State | 107 | 31-22 | 23 |
24 | Oklahoma State | 77 | 38-25 | RV |
25 | Georgia | 71 | 35-23 | T25 |