The Missouri Tiger softball team was picked 6th in the coaches and 5th in the USA Softball preseason polls. Mizzou is coming off a 53-13 season and they made their third straight trip to the Softball World Series.

Oklahoma and Baylor at 5th and 7th, sandwiched around Mizzou in the coaches poll. Oklahoma State is 11th, Texas A & M and Texas are 17th and 18th respectively. Missouri flip flops with OU in the USA Softball poll with OSU, A & M and Texas in the second half of the poll, but what I paid particular attention to was the number of SEC schools that are in the top 25.

Florida and Alabama are both ranked ahead of Mizzou. Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and LSU also debut in both polls.  Half of the conference is ranked in the top 25.

NFCA poll

1 Arizona St.60-6
2 Florida 56-13
3 Alabama 53-11
4 California 45-13
5 Oklahoma 43-19
6 Missouri 53-13
7 Baylor 47-15
8 Arizona 43-18
9 Stanford 42-17
10 Georgia 51-14
11 Oklahoma St.42-20
12 Washington 37-16
13 Kentucky 40-16
14 Tennessee 49-12
15 Michigan 53-6
16 Oregon 42-16
17 Texas A&M 44-15
18 Texas 46-10
19 UCLA 36-19
20 Houston 44-18
21 Nebraska 41-14
22 LSU 40-18
23 La.-Lafayette 51-11
24 Tulsa 46-15
25 Louisville 38-20

USA Softball poll

1. Arizona State (19) 60-6
2. Alabama 53-11
3. California 45-13
4. Florida (1)56-13
5. Missouri 53-10
6. Oklahoma 43-19
7. Baylor 47-15
8. Arizona 43-18
9. Tennessee 49-12
10. Stanford 42-17
11. Oregon 42-16
12. Georgia 51-14
13. UCLA 36-19
14. Washington 37-15
15. Texas A&M 44-15
T16. Michigan 53-6
T16. Oklahoma State 40-20
18. Kentucky 40-16
19. Texas 46-10
T20. LSU 40-18
T20. Nebraska 41-14
22. Houston 44-18
23. Georgia Tech 45-12
24. Louisiana-Lafayette 51-11
25. Notre Dame 46-11