Upstate 17th in Latest Mid-Major Top 25 Poll; Tops All S.C. Schools in NCAA RPI
5/1/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
NCAA Statistical Ranking | Mid-Major Top 25 Poll
Spartanburg, S.C. – For the fourth-straight week and the fifth time in six rankings, the USC Upstate softball team tops all South Carolina schools in the NCAA RPI ranking. In addition, the Spartans are ranked 17th in the latest Mid-Major Top 25 poll and rank among the nation's leaders in the latest statistical report issued by the NCAA.
Upstate is ranked 75th in the latest RPI report issued by the NCAA. The Spartans are the top school in the Palmetto State, a full 13 spots ahead of South Carolina, which comes in at No. 88. The Spartans and Gamecocks are the only South Carolina schools in the top 100.
Coastal Carolina is third in the state with an RPI of 112 and is followed by Charleston Southern (No. 121), College of Charleston (No. 128), Furman (No. 195), Winthrop (No. 197), Presbyterian (No. 247) and South Carolina State (No. 282).
Upstate is the third-highest A-Sun school in the RPI ranking. Lipscomb tops the conference at No. 68 and is followed by Lipscomb (No. 74), Upstate (No. 75), Kennesaw State (No. 76), North Florida (No. 80) and Florida Gulf Coast (No. 93), giving the conference six teams in the top 100. Stetson is next at No. 136 and is followed by Mercer (No. 144), Belmont (No. 219) and East Tennessee State (No. 220).
Ranked all season long in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll released by midmajorpoll.blogspot.com, Upstate remains one of the top mid-major teams in the country. The Spartans are ranked 17th in the latest poll after rising as high as No. 9 in the poll in mid-April. They are the only A-Sun team listed in the top 25 poll.
Upstate ranks eighth in all of Division I with a .324 batting average in the latest statistical ranking released by the NCAA. The Spartans are also 12th with 1.5 doubles per game, 13th with a .974 fielding percentage, 14th with a .783 winning percentage and 30th with a 2.03 ERA. Individually, Hannah Alexander (Lexington, N.C.) ranks 16th in the nation with 24 wins and nine shutouts, and 37th with a 1.60 ERA. Shellie Robinson (DeLand, Fla.) is 30th with 14 home runs and 27th with a .789 slugging percentage.
Upstate will close out the regular season this weekend, traveling to Nashville, Tenn., for a pair of key A-Sun doubleheaders against Lipscomb on Friday and Belmont on Saturday. The Spartans are currently in third place in the A-Sun. However, there are five teams vying for the four remaining spots in the six-team A-Sun Tournament which will be hosted by Upstate at Cyrill Stadium next week. Kennesaw State and Florida Gulf Coast have already secured spots in the league tournament. The Spartans are 36-10 overall and 9-5 in the A-Sun.
