Fansided

College softball rankings: Louisiana takes down mighty Florida, UCLA still No. 1

By Ethan Lee

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - JUNE 05: Korina Rosario #8 of the Florida State Seminoles walks to the stadium during the Division I Women's Softball Championship held at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium - OGE Energy Field on June 5, 2018 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - JUNE 05: Korina Rosario #8 of the Florida State Seminoles walks to the stadium during the Division I Women's Softball Championship held at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium - OGE Energy Field on June 5, 2018 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /
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The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns walked into Gainesville and stunned the Florida Gators to deliver a massive shock to the new college softball rankings.

The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns are one of the best college softball teams in the entire country. That’s not hyperbole and anyone who has paid close attention to this team shouldn’t be shocked by that statement.

Louisiana’s latest landmark victory came as the Ragin’ Cajuns went to Gainesville and knocked off then-No. 5 Florida in their own stadium. If Louisiana can consistently play like that, the Ragin’ Cajuns can make it to the Women’s College World Series this season.

Florida drops a little bit following that loss but they’re not going to be punished too harshly for losing to a great team in a close series. Florida actually outscored Louisiana in the series thanks to the Gators’ 6-0 rout of the Ragin’ Cajuns in the opening game of the series. The Gators should still be considered one of the best teams in the SEC and have all the talent needed to make a run to OKC, but losing this series still drops them a bit.

FanSided Top 25 college softball rankings

  1. UCLA
  2. Washington
  3. Texas
  4. Arizona
  5. Louisiana
  6. LSU
  7. Oklahoma
  8. Georgia
  9. Baylor
  10. Florida
  11. Duke
  12. Virginia Tech
  13. Missouri
  14. South Carolina
  15. Oregon
  16. Arkansas
  17. Iowa
  18. Mississippi State
  19. Arizona State
  20. Utah
  21. Kentucky
  22. Michigan
  23. Florida State
  24. Clemson
  25. Texas Tech

Teams on the rise: Louisiana, Mississippi State, Clemson

Louisiana should be considered a possible national title contender this season. The Ragin’ Cajuns are proving they can contend with any college softball team in the country. So far, they’ve grabbed wins against Texas, LSU, Oklahoma State and now Florida. Louisiana is 5-4 in games against those teams. It’s early but it looks like the Ragin’ Cajuns have what it takes to compete in Oklahoma City this year.

Meanwhile, Mississippi State might just be the most entertaining team in the Southeastern Conference right now. Again, it’s early, but the Bulldogs have the best record in the SEC in terms of win percentage at 18-3 and are tied for second in the conference in home runs with 27. The Bulldogs are on a seven-game winning streak as the first year of the Samantha Ricketts era has started off well for MSU.

In the ACC, Clemson has joined the FanSided Top 25. The Tigers started off slowly with an 8-7 record but have since won six games in a row, including a sweep of Virginia to get to 14-7. Clemson may not be a great team but if they can hit a few more hot streaks and continue beating conference teams they’ll be a fun team to keep up with this year.

Team trending down: Michigan

Michigan did not have a fun trip over to the Judi Garman Classic. The Wolverines lost three of their five games and were completely blown out by the Washington Huskies. On the bright side, Michigan did get a solid win against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders aren’t that great but a win is a win.

Team on the outside looking in: Stanford

I’m keeping a close eye on Stanford right now. The Cardinal looks to have a pretty good team this year and I think they’ve got the potential to make a run in the Pac-12. Stanford takes a trip to Tennessee for the Tennessee Invitational. If the Cardinal can play well, they’ll be ranked next week.