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COLLEGE STATION,
Texas - The Texas A&M softball team nabbed the No. 17 national ranking
in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Preseason Poll,
the organization announced today.
The Aggies, who ended the 2012 season with a No. 19 NFCA
ranking and a No. 10 final RPI standing, will begin their first season in the Southeastern
Conference (SEC) among the top 20 in the nation.
Of the 13 SEC schools to sponsor the sport of softball,
seven were ranked among the top 25 and two (Mississippi State and Kentucky) are
receiving votes. 2012 National Champion Alabama claimed the top spot on the
list and was followed by fellow SEC schools No. 6 Tennessee, No. 8 Missouri,
No. 9 Georgia, No. 10 LSU, No. 14 Florida and No. 17 A&M.
The Aggies have a challenging 2013 slate, playing against
six top 10 teams and nine top 25 clubs. A&M's nonconference opponents on
the list are No. 5 Oregon, No. 11 Louisiana Lafayette, No. 15 Michigan and No.
19 UCLA. Illinois State is receiving votes.
The team will start the hunt for a
12th straight NCAA Tournament berth a trip to Oklahoma City for the
Women's College World Series at the Stacy Winsberg Tournament in Los Angeles,
Feb. 8-10, beginning with games against a pair of NCAA Tournament competitors
in Long Beach State, the 2012 Big West Champions, and host school UCLA. The
Aggies will also play Cal State Bakersfield and Wright State in L.A. before
closing out the tournament with another game vs. the Bruins.
To learn more about Texas A&M
softball, log on to AggieAthletics.com and follow @AggieSoftball on Twitter.
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Rank
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Team
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2012 Record
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Totals
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Final 2012 Poll
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1
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Alabama (25)
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60-8
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765
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1
|
|
2
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Oklahoma (5)
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54-10
|
745
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2
|
|
3
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California (1)
|
58-7
|
704
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3
|
|
4
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Arizona State
|
53-11
|
684
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4
|
|
5
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Oregon
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45-18
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635
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5
|
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6
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Tennessee
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52-14
|
626
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6
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7
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Texas
|
47-13
|
534
|
9
|
|
8
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Missouri
|
47-14
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496
|
11
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|
9
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Georgia
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45-17
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490
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10
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10
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LSU
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40-25
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475
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7
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11
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Louisiana Lafayette
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53-6
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429
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12
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12
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USF
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50-14
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423
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8
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13
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Arizona
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38-19
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406
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13
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14
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Florida
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48-11
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342
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18
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|
15
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Michigan
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42-17
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326
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15
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16
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Washington
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39-19
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316
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14
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17
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Texas A&M
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41-18
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296
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19
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|
18
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Louisville
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55-5
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255
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17
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19
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UCLA
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36-20
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216
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20
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20
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Hofstra
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42-15
|
203
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16
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21
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Stanford
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40-19
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183
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21
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22
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North Carolina
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43-15
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102
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24
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23
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Hawai'i
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44-9
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89
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22
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24
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Baylor
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34-22
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80
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RV
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25
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Florida State
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47-16
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58
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RV
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Others
Receiving Votes: Notre Dame (43), Georgia Tech (29), Syracuse (27),
Kentucky (23), Oregon State (22), Texas Tech (12), Virginia Tech (11), DePaul
(10), Northwestern (5), BYU (4), Houston (3), Tulsa (2), Mississippi State (2),
Illinois State (2), South Alabama (2).
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