SB #2 RPI this week
Michigan maintains its #2 RPI rank this week. This is important as many of you know in deciding who hosts Super Regionals and who the opponent is. I watch alot of softball from around the country and there are 2 teams Id like to avoid until the World Series..Florida obviously but also Kentucky and ULL...Kentucky has 2 ace pitchers and ULL is the nations best power hitting team. If todays RPI rankings were to hold we would face ULL in the world series first round and either UCLA or LSU in Super Regionals.
Michigan is 3-2 against the current top 10 and a incredible 27-4 against the top 50
http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/softball/d1/ncaa-womens-softball-rpi
Question for the OP. Does the old addage good pitching beats good hitting apply in softball? It would make sense in your endorsement of Kentucky.
Anyway, great job by the women this year! I am looking forward to a deep playoff run.
Yes and No....hows that for fence sitting.?..Kentucky has two aces that are really really good. Michigan has faced and beaten one of them Nunley previously but it was a difficult game. Our bats have been known to struggle against pitchers of this quality..If you recall a few years back Kentucky beat UM in Ann Arbor in the Regionals with stellar pitching so Id rather just avoid them all together...as far as ULL these girls were shut out at Florida this weekend BUT both our pitchers while pretty darn good arent dominant ..These are the two Id like to not see at first.. If I had to pick one? Kentucky is my top team to avoid
Thanks for the response, you split the baby nicely! Would you consider Florida's pitching on par with Kentucky?
Florida's pitching is better than Kentucky. James Madison's pitching is better than Florida in my opinion, but UF's defense as a whole is the best. Our pitching so far has been a bit spotty.
Also important to note that ULL's Lexi Elkins was hurt for the series against UF. She's pretty much their entire offense, so the result was predictable.
I was pretty much looking at teams we could host /play in the Super Regionals...UF is the best team and being #1 we will avoid them until the end...you are correct UF pitching is better than UK but UK is good enough,,,they just swept LSU in baton Rouge one of the leading hitting teams in the country and they shut them out 3 straight games I believe
Florida is by far the most dominant pitching staff NO DOUBT about it...but we would avoid them until the finals again if all the seeds hold out...(rare and not likely) but we wouldnt face them until the finals if we maintain # 2 OR #3 seed going into World Series
Can't wait to see how they do this year
Stupid question... If you say RPI goes towards home field, and Michigan is #2, then why would Michigan play away at any other team but #1?
didnt say that..It is used to determine Home field and who you play..Its a matchup thing..avoiding Ky or ULL regardless of the venue is to our benefit imho...not a stupid question I think u may have misunderstood what I was trying to say
14-1 at Texas A & M but you are right they beat UF twice IN GAINSEVILLE so they will be a force to reckon with..We beat this team 3 times last year with essentially the same players
At the time of the injury for Elkins I think they were saying 4-6 weeks, so I'd guess she'll be back before the end of the season.
THE SPANISH INQUISITION? Aren't you Cardinal Ximenez? Is it just 2 teams you fear (as you stated), or is it 3? Maybe even 4??
A long time to use that havent you?
Just win.
Michigan is the only B1G team in the top 20. Minnesota is at 22 and Nebraska is 30. The SEC has 8 of the top 16. Have to admit that Florida will be battle-tested after this season.
Exactly, and we don't even play Minnesota this year. (I mean maybe a single game in the Big Ten tournament, but that would be it).