No. 1 Washington HuskiesThe reigning Pacific 10 Conference champions defeated unranked Oregon State three times over the weekend to build their winning streak to four games. National Player of the Year Danielle Lawrie threw three shutouts to lead the Huskies (40-5) to the sweep. The series win gave Washington 40 wins on the season, the 13th time the Huskies have reached 40 wins in the program’s 18-year history.
No. 2 Michigan WolverinesThe Wolverines (40-6) staged two comeback rallies in the sixth innings of both their games against the unranked Kentucky Wildcats. Michigan has two pitchers with more than 15 wins on the season. Jordan Taylor (22-3) and Nikki Nemitz (16-3) both have ERAs under two, at 1.45 and 1.95 respectively. The Wolverines take on their fellow Michigan softball programs this weekend when they host Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Michigan State in a three-day setting.
No. 3 Arizona WildcatsThe Wildcats (40-8) took two of three from California in Berkeley, Calif., over the weekend. Arizona also hit the 40-win mark for the season, and freshman pitcher Kenzie Fowler nabbed the Wildcats’ two wins to bring her season total to 29. If Fowler cracks the 30-win mark this season, she will be the 18th pitcher in Arizona softball history to do so and the first since Taryne Mowatt in 2007.
No. 4 Alabama Crimson TideThe Crimson Tide took two games from No. 13 Tennessee before the third game was canceled due to inclement weather. Before the cancellation, Alabama defeated the Lady Volunteers in a double header on Saturday 4-2 and 7-6 respectively. Alabama will close out the season on the road at Mississippi State.
No. 5 Florida GatorsFlorida swept Mississippi State in two games in Gainesville, Fla., this weekend. Junior pitcher Stephanie Brombacher earned her 25th win of the season and was named Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week for pitching her seventh shutout and 14th complete game of the season. Conference standings
School Overall record ConferenceWashington 40-5 12-3Arizona 40-8 10-5UCLA 36-9 10-5Arizona State 39-12 8-7Oregon 31-13 7-8California 36-15 6-9Stanford 35-13 5-10Oregon State 22-27 2-13