The two major national polls, USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association and ESPN/USA Softball, have just released their pre-season Top 25 rankings. The defending NCAA champion Washington Huskies are picked No. 1 in both polls; in the USAT/NFCA poll, all 30 first-place votes went to U-Dub, whereas in the ESPN/USAS survey, the Huskies garnered 17 of 20 first-place votes. Alabama is ranked second in both polls. Michigan is slotted third by ESPN/USAS and fourth by USAT/NFCA, whereas Florida is picked third by NFCA/USAT and fifth by ESPN/USAS. Other consensus Top 10 schools include UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Georgia, and Missouri.

Play begins the second weekend in February with a bunch of tournaments!