Michigan Softball Ranked #1 in Nation
As predicted here, the Michigan Softball team moved up to the top spot in the USA Today/NFCA poll. Michigan is the only B1G team in the Top 25 (not counting Nebraska which joins next year).
The top ten teams:
|
Rank |
Team |
Record |
Pts |
Pvs |
|
1 |
Michigan (15) |
39-3 |
732 |
2 |
|
2 |
Arizona St. (12) |
39-5 |
706 |
1 |
|
3 |
Georgia (3) |
39-6 |
685 |
4 |
|
4 |
Alabama |
41-5 |
650 |
5 |
|
5 |
Texas |
37-4 |
645 |
3 |
|
6 |
Tennessee |
38-6 |
614 |
6 |
|
7 |
Arizona |
36-8 |
567 |
8 |
|
8 |
Florida |
37-7 |
518 |
10 |
|
9 |
Washington |
30-6 |
512 |
7 |
|
10 |
Stanford |
30-8 |
462 |
11 |
Impressive... just wish that loss to Indiana wasn't there, man, that just gave me the worst feeling in my chest.
is playing tough this year. They are suprising the softball world.
go blue!!!
lets get another championship.
crazy we can do it up north like we do.
sjw
Keep up the good work
How are Points calculated for softball? The only points system I'm familiar with is the CCHA standings.
that it's just a poll. So, people vote for each first place vote a team gets they get say, 25 points, for each second place vote they get, they get 24 points etc. and then you just add up all the votes/points to determine the total.
So if there are 10 voters, and Team We'rebetterthanyouare gets 3 first place votes, 4 second place votes, a third place vote and 2 fifth place votes, they'd get (3*25)+(4+24)+(1*23)+(2*21)=236 points. Teams that have more points are ranked higher and teams with less are ranked lower. It's just a way to try and reconcile whether it's better to get 7 first place votes and 3 3rd place votes or 5 first place votes and 5 second place votes, since these things are mostly subjective.
It's not really a "standings". The amount of games won doesn't directly give you points, it just gets you more higher votes, which leads to more points.
Also, the values could be different. If it was a poll that ranked the top 15 teams, a first place vote would get 15 points, a second 14 and so on.
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (Coaches poll) is an organization of several thousand coaches. I am a member. Just about every serious coach is a member as well.
Just about every college coach (D1, D2, D3, JuCo, and Club teams) are a member. This organization helps coaches understand the game and provide rule interpretations etc. The Executive Board also lobbies the ASA for rule changes.
The NFCA coaches poll has 30 D1 coaches from all the conferences that vote. The tally is just as you describe.
And they beat ASU and Arizona already, right? Is Michigan the favorite to win the NC this year, or is their ranking buoyed by the weak Big Ten conference?
But to hold you over, I believe his answer was basically "no".
But definitely a major contender. The rub with Michigan is that the team is only two consecutive poor pitching performances from JT from being out of the tournament at any point. Then again, if she pitches the way she is capable with only the occasional off day and the offense can pick her up on those days, there's no reason Michigan couldn't win it all.
My bad, there were two questions there and I didn't say which one I was answering.
Ranking being bolstered- "No"
NC- "Probably not, but should go deep, as in finals deep."
Sorry about that; that's what I recall from Softball, he'll answer I'm sure.
Is it sexist of me that I've always thought MGoSoftball was a female?
Sorry Softball...in my defense, you have a very gender-neutral writing style and never refer to yourself other than I and me.
Nah, I thought he was too for a while. There was some thread where he said he had a wife, and then someone asked point-blank another time and he confirmed that he is, in fact, a he.
I posted this before but I am a 40ish Male that has coached softball for over 15 years. I have coached from T-ball through D1 Club team.
any team who makes it to the World Series has already proven that they can beat anyone anytime. Look at us in 2005. There was no way we were going to beat the best team in the world UCLA, even though we were ranked very high. Then to think a Freshman won it in extra innings? It was a shock to the softball world that is for certain.
I have predicted from the start of the season that we would make it to the final game against a Pac-10 team, and Ashley Lane would be an All American. I think Ashley has proven herself time and time again to win at least a second team mention. As for the World Series finals???? That is yet to be written.
You are correct. Softball, especially D1 softball, is a tough game to go undefeated. Anyone can win or lose on any given day.
I will give you an example. LSU smoked #1 Alabama. So you would think LSU is under-rated and deserves a higher ranking? Right? Then #15 Tennessee smokes LSU.
I try to use the Appalachian St vs Michiganan analogy but those upsets happen every single week. The name of the game is pitching, pitching and more pitching. Some teams, Like Indiana, have only one real #1 pitcher. If the #1 pitcher gets the flu, or a cold or takes a shot off her knee, life sux for that team.
One thing most people do not understand is that the season begins 01SEP. It is just like spring football, but only in the Fall. Anything can happen and every position is open. So the rankings are more about consistancy over the long term than playing in a tough conference.
We have played very well this spring. When our pitching was shitty, like this weekend, our offense picked it up. When our hitting was shitty, like NU, our pitching won the day. We have a very well balanced team, no real superstars save JT and possibly DS. We have no players that leads the nation in any major statistic. We have players that are contsistantly in the Top 15 or so of the major categories.
point that needs to be said. There are no real "favorites" in the World Series. Now there has to be seedings to determine who plays who. Also there is a small amount of "politics" which is expected.
I am sure that we get a 1/2 point higher because we are the only team East of the Mississippi to win a NC. Also do not underestimate Hutch's popularity nationally. She is well loved by all the "major" programs. I dont think I have ever heard or read anything negative about Hutch. That is truely a testament to her character and knowledge of the game. She is a "one-of-a-kind" human being even outside of softball.
Like
... must have been too busy stroking his "true michigan fan" weiner to post this himself.
Get the hell out of here troll. Your posting record on this website is one of the many reasons I can't wait for negging to return. Just looking forward to the day you get banned.
Please remove yourself from my blog with great haste.
Seriously, when is MGoSoftball going to be required to tag things OT? And when are we going to stop kidding ourselves and let the WNBA die?
Come on, I know some of you agree with me..."
I remember that. BlueHOV is neg-on sight; I don't care if they aren't sticking anymore.
I'm glad you both have wasted time being upset over me. Mission accomplished. Until next time...
You're a sexist douche. Most people around here aren't; it's easy to remember someone like you.
GTFO and don't come back.
Mmm... Drink it in! I love it.
Oh, and by the way: No.
Spend a little time thinking about what your next handle will be once negs come back and we neg-butfuck you out of here.
April 19th, 2011 at 10:19 PM ^
I'm scared. I promise.
you wish you were a Michigan Wolverine. I do feel sorry for you. You want so badly to be like us, but you can only throw stones.
I do pity you and hope you get the professional help and medication that you need.
MGoSoftball,
You were correct. Michigan moved to #1 in both the NFCA and ESPN polls. However, their RPI is #7:
http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/weeklyrpi/2011WSBrpi1.html
Our lower RPI is because due to two factors. First, we played a weaker than average pre-season schedule this year, most likely due to the fact that we were replacing so many starters. Second, the Big 10 is not as strong from top to bottom as the SEC or PAC10 or even the Big12. Thus, our RPI will sink compared to the stronger conferences who beat up on each other, but are losing to strong strength of schedule teams.
This will have an impact on our ultimate seeding for the post-season tournament. We would like to be in the top 8; ideally we won't be paired with Tennessee. We were paired against Tennessee/Virginia Tech in 2008 (losing to VT in the Super Regional) and to Tennessee in 2010. We lost to TN in the Super Regional in 2010. We did beat TN in the play-in game in our National Title year, 2005.
April 19th, 2011 at 10:45 PM ^
It is interesting to watch how the dynamics unfold as the season progresses. I still think we have one more loss in conference play yet to give.
You are correct in the way the seedings are done. It is all up to the committee, although the #1 in the coaches poll is usually the #1 overall. RPI is an outdated method (in my opinion).
We will be pared with a regional that is close to us. If the brackets were issued today, I would have us at #1 with Ball State, Kent State, and maybe, just maybe Margo Jonker and her Chips of Central Michigan. In the other regional, I have either Kentucky or Mizzou as the #16 seed.
Keep in mind that the seeding is NOT the same thing as ranking. The top 8 ususally stay the same but the last 8 in rank are not typically seeded the same. For example, lets say that rank 12-18 are either PAC 10, Big 12 or WAC teams. It would not make sense for us at #1 to share a super regional with a #16 that is over 1000 miles away. If this were the case, I would expect a lower ranked SEC team like Kentucky get the 16 seed. I would also not be suprised if ND is a 16 seed.
April 19th, 2011 at 10:22 PM ^
I actually graduated from Michigan years ago. And, yes, it was the Ann Arbor version. I don't care for UM softball, and I find it hilarious that you people are so offended by that.
So now that you've played into my hand for a few days, I guess I will continue to roll with it.
April 19th, 2011 at 10:51 PM ^
offended that you dont like softball. Many people on this board dont. They care for football, basketball and a little hockey. However, they have enough respect for the University of Michigan and to those of us who love softball, especially M SB, to be respectful of our opinions.
You just have issues that need attention. I wish you all the luck in the world. You are going to need it.
April 19th, 2011 at 10:52 PM ^
Quit trolling and get a life.