Knights Check In at No. 7 in First NCAA Softball RPI

ORLANDO – The first NCAA Women's Softball RPI was released on Monday and the Knights sit squarely within the Top 10 as UCF checks in at number seven overall. The Black and Gold also rank in every major Softball poll for the second week in a row.

The No. 7 ranking marks the highest UCF has ever received in the RPI, the main metric of seeding for the NCAA Championship, passing the 2015 team's highest mark of 15 overall.

The Knights stay relatively still in both the NFCA/USA Today and ESPN/USA Softball Top 25 polls. The NFCA poll has the Knights staying at 22 for the second straight week while UCF falls one spot to 23 overall in the ESPN poll.

UCF drops from 24 to 25 in the latest D1 Softball Poll while Softball America has the Knights moving from 21 to 22.



During its 20-5-1 start to the 2020 campaign, UCF has taken down or tied five opponents that are currently ranked or receiving votes in the major national polls. The signature wins thus far for the Knights were a two-game sweep of then No. 12 Tennessee in five innings on Feb. 21-22 and a 3-2 win over No. 16 Michigan on March 6. 

This past week alone, from March 4 through March 8, UCF played four Top 20 ranked teams, including No. 1 UCLA. The Knights went 1-2-1 against those teams, with the tie coming against No. 18 Minnesota. The Knights will play No. 7 Florida on April 1 at the UCF Softball Complex.

The Knights have been ranked in the D1 Softball and Softball America polls for three weeks in a row now while this is the second week this season UCF earns a spot in the NFCA and ESPN polls.

Prior to this season, UCF was last ranked in the Top 25 in week 14 of the 2016 season. The Knights finished 38-22 that year and made it to the NCAA regional tournament.

The highest ranking the Knights have ever received came in 2015, when they were pegged as the 13th best team in the nation in weeks 15 and 16 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll. UCF would go on to post a 50-9 record that season, was crowned the American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champion, and advanced to the NCAA regional tournament. After starting the year 13-2, this year's Knights squad has tied the 2015 team's record as the best 15-game start in program history.

You can view the full rankings from each Top 25 poll below:
USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll
ESPN/USA Softball Top 25 Poll
Softball America Top 25 Poll
D1 Softball Top 25 Poll
NCAA Women's Softball RPI

ON DECK
UCF enjoys an off day on Tuesday before playing one more game in California against Cal State Fullerton Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET. UCF will then travel to Mississippi for a three-game series with Ole Miss from Friday through Sunday.

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