Alabama softball’s grip on the top tier loosened Tuesday, April 28, after dropping its first series of the season.
The Crimson Tide (44-6, 16-5 SEC) fell to No. 3 in the USA Softball poll after a top-10 showdown series loss at Tennessee. Alabama stayed put at No. 3 in the Softball America rankings, but fell to No. 4 in the NFCA Coaches Poll and D1 Softball rankings.
As the postseason nears, the SEC dominated in national rankings, with No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 5 Texas, No. 7 Arkansas, No. 8 Florida, No. 9 Tennessee, No. 12 Texas A&M, No. 14 Georgia, No. 16 Mississippi State, No. 19 LSU, and No. 21 South Carolina also appearing in the USA Softball poll.
Alabama started off with a dominant 12-0, run-rule shutout in five innings over the Volunteers on Saturday, April 25. However, the Crimson Tide couldn't sustain the momentum, as Tennessee capitalized with a 2-0 shutout Sunday before taking the rubber match 4-1 on Monday to claim the series.
Alabama softball will host South Carolina in its final series of the regular season. It will be a quick turnaround for the Crimson Tide as first pitch is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, April 30. Alabama will continue the series at 6 p.m. Friday and round out the regular season at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Amelia Hurley covers high school and college sports for The Tuscaloosa News and USA TODAY Network. You can find her on X at ameliahurley_ or reach her at ahurley@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama softball drops in rankings after series loss