Auburn softball remains outside of USA TODAY/NFCA Coaches Poll after Kentucky series
Auburn softball may have dropped its most recent series to Kentucky, but they found a way to win the final game of the series thanks to a great effort in the circle by Shelby Lowe and several heads-up scoring opportunities.
As the SEC schedule begins its final turn, Auburn remains outside of the top 25 rankings in this week's USA TODAY/NFCA Coaches Poll.
Ten SEC teams make up this week's top 25 from USA TODAY and NFCA, with South Carolina joining Auburn in the receiving votes category. Ole Miss is the lone SEC squad that did not receive top-25 consideration this week.
Tennessee is the SEC's highest-represented club this week. The Lady Vols won two of three games over LSU last weekend, which gives them a one-spot bump to No. 3 in this week's poll. Coincidentally, the series loss pushed LSU up to No. 6. Texas A&M rounds out the SEC in the top 10 by earning a No. 10 ranking after it swept Ole Miss over the weekend.
Georgia and Florida each dropped to No. 11 and No. 12 respectively. Missouri dropped one place to No. 14 while Arkansas jumped a place to No. 15 after winning the series at Alabama. As for the Crimson Tide, they fall three spots to No. 17.
Mississippi State checks in at No. 18 after taking a week off of SEC play, and Kentucky jumps to No. 21 after its series win at Auburn.
Here is a look at this week's USA TODAY/NFCA Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Last Week |
| 1 | Texas | 38-6 | 791 | 1 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | 42-4 | 772 | 2 |
| 3 | Tennessee | 34-8 | 720 | 4 |
| 4 | Oklahoma State | 39-8 | 666 | 6 |
| 5 | Duke | 39-6 | 652 | 3 |
| 6 | LSU | 35-10 | 592 | 7 |
| 7 | Stanford | 36-10 | 590 | 5 |
| 8 | Washington | 30-8 | 566 | 8 |
| 9 | UCLA | 27-9 | 554 | 12 |
| 10 | Texas A&M | 37-9 | 536 | 11 |
| 11 | Georgia | 36-11 | 516 | 9 |
| 12 | Florida | 37-10 | 466 | 10 |
| 13 | Virginia Tech | 35-9-1 | 403 | 15 |
| 14 | Missouri | 35-13 | 377 | 13 |
| 15 | Arkansas | 32-12 | 360 | 16 |
| 16 | Florida State | 36-10 | 294 | 18 |
| 17 | Alabama | 31-12 | 291 | 14 |
| 18 | Mississippi State | 30-13 | 240 | 17 |
| 19 | Arizona | 31-13-1 | 235 | 19 |
| 20 | California | 31-14 | 235 | 19 |
| 21 | Kentucky | 29-15 | 120 | 24 |
| 22 | Clemson | 31-15 | 117 | 21 |
| 23 | Boston University | 40-4 | 110 | 23 |
| 24 | Oregon | 26-16 | 100 | 22 |
| 25 | Louisiana | 33-15 | 74 | 25 |
Others Receiving Votes
Northwestern (25), South Carolina (21), Texas State (19), Virginia (9), Miami (6), Auburn (4), Grand Canyon (3), Baylor (2), Eastern Kentucky (1).
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