Bulldogs open season ranked No. 24 in USA Today/NFCA poll

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Fresno State softball program has been ranked as the No. 24 team in the country, according to the USA Today/NFCA Division I Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the Association on Tuesday.

This is the first time since 2010 that the Bulldogs have appeared in the preseason Top 25. Last year, Fresno State spent 14 weeks in the Top 25 and finished the season No. 22 overall.

The Bulldogs' 2017 schedule is full of top competition as the 'Dogs are scheduled to face Oregon (9th), Washington (13th), Minnesota (16th), Oregon State (RV), California (RV), Cal State Fullerton (RV), Northwestern (RV) and BYU (RV).

Oklahoma, the 2016 national champion, is the unanimous No. 1 selection. The Sooners (57-8), who collected their program's third national title, received all 32 first-place votes and 800 points to garner the first unanimous preseason pick since Arizona State in 2012.

Auburn (58-12) earned 745 points after a runner-up finish at the Women's College World Series. The Tigers start a run of four Southeastern Conference programs in the top 7 and nine in the top 20.

WCWS semifinalist Florida State (56-7) grabbed the No. 3 spot with 683 points, while back-to-back semifinalist LSU (52-18) received 671 points, matching SEC foe and league preseason favorite Florida (56-7) at No. 4.

WCWS participants Michigan (52-7 /655), Alabama (51-14 / 633) and UCLA (40-16-1 / 534) rank 6^th, 7^th and 8^th, while the final WCWS participant, Georgia (46-20 / 435) was voted 12^th.

Joining Pac-12 rivals UCLA in the top 10 are Oregon (48-10 / 484) and Arizona (466 / 40-21) at No. 9 and 10, respectively.

As previously mentioned, the SEC led the way with nine selections, all in the top-20. Along with three top-10 programs, the Pac-12 follows with five representatives. The Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 and Big Ten each boast two teams in the top-25, while the American Athletic Conference, Colonial Athletic Association, Conference USA, Mountain West and Sun Belt garnered one nod apiece.

The USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference. Final 2016 records are shown, first-place votes are in parentheses.

2017 USA Today/NFCA Division I Softball Coaches Poll
Preseason | Jan. 31, 2017

1	Oklahoma (32)	800	57-8	1
2	Auburn	745	58-12	2
3	Florida State	683	55-10	4
t4	Florida	671	56-7	8
t4	LSU	671	52-18	3
6	Michigan	655	52-7	5
7	Alabama	633	51-14	6
8	UCLA	534	40-16-1	9
9	Oregon	484	48-10	10
10	Arizona	466	40-21	14
11	Louisiana-Lafayette	444	46-9	12
12	Georgia	435	46-20	7
13	Washington	430	39-15	13
14	James Madison	418	50-6	11
15	Tennessee	331	43-16	17
16	Minnesota	295	43-14	20
17	Missouri	271	42-16	15
18	Utah	266	36-21	16
19	Texas A&M	258	39-20	19
20	Kentucky	250	46-14	18
21	Baylor	171	45-14	21
22	Notre Dame	121	43-13	23
23	Florida Atlantic	87	51-9	24
24	Fresno State	65	42-12-1	22
25	USF	47	45-16	25

Dropped Out: None

Receiving Votes: Oregon State (23), Oklahoma State (22), Texas (17), South Carolina (13), Ole Miss (12), Nebraska (12), UCF (10), Tulsa (7), California (6), Cal State Fullerton (5), Arizona State (3), Northwestern (3), North Carolina (2), Ohio State (2), BYU (1), USC Upstate (1).

The USA Today/NFCA Division I Coaches Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference.

Fresno State Athletics

Bulldogs open season ranked No. 24 in USA Today/NFCA poll

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