Pac-12 softball power rankings: Time to make moves

April 23, 2014

Devin Means

Devin Means/ The Daily Wildcat During Arizona’s sfotball 5-3 win against Stanford at Rita Hillenbrand Stadium on April 5th 2014

1. Oregon (40-5, 14-1 Pac-12 Conference)
A dominating three-game series over California makes Oregon the first team in the conference to win 40 games. At this rate, the Ducks might not lose for the rest of the regular season.

2. UCLA Bruins (41-4, 12-3)
UCLA needed a strong week, and in five games, it got just that. Uncharacteristic pitching woes didn’t stop the Bruins from winning all five games and becoming the second Pac-12 team to reach the 40-wins plateau.

3. ASU (39-7, 13-4)
ASU drops one in the Pac-12 power rankings after playing only two games over the weekend. The Sun Devils have a relatively easy week before going against the No. 1 Oregon Ducks next week.

4. Arizona (34-9, 9-6)
Arizona had plenty of time to rest up during its Easter weekend bye. The Wildcats take the field today for a double-header against New Mexico State.

5. Washington (25-12, 5-8)
The Huskies split a pair against ASU last weekend but get an easier draw this week in a road series against Oregon State. Washington needs all the wins it can get, so taking advantage of a struggling OSU team is key.

6. Cal (22-20, 4-9)
It wasn’t long ago when Cal was atop the conference standings, but the Golden Bears have lost nine of their last 11 games and have UCLA on the schedule this week. There’s a good chance Cal drops below .500 after this weekend.

7. Stanford (26-18, 3-12)
Stanford had a perfect chance to reverse its recent woes last weekend, but lost two of three against lowly Utah. The Cardinal now has the second-worst Pac-12 record and plays Oregon this weekend.

8. Utah (23-21, 5-12)
The Utes won four games in the past week to finally get above the .500 mark this season. However, Utah has a tough away series against Arizona this week and could see its record drop below .500 again.

9. Oregon State (13-26, 3-13)
The Beavers have lost eight of their last nine games and just can’t seem to catch a break, as Washington is next on the schedule. OSU would have to win seven of its remaining 10 games just to get to the 20-win plateau.

—Follow Roberto Payne @HouseOfPayne555