Big Ten Power Rankings: Week 10

UCLA showcased its dominance of the league, dismantling Ohio State in a two-game set. Oregon had another strange loss. Nebraska, Washington and Indiana are trending the right way. That and more from Big Ten softball.

Big Ten Softball Tier 1 Teams

1. UCLA (37-5, 9-1 Big Ten)

Taylor Tinsley reminded everyone how good she is with her complete game shutout of Ohio State last week. The righty tossed a one-hitter, striking out 10 against the nation’s best home run hitting team. The UCLA offense has been great this season, and if Tinsley and Kaitlyn Terry pitch at a high level, the Bruins certainly can be national championship contenders.

2. Oregon (35-4, 9-1)

The Ducks are a strange team to dissect. Oregon sweeping Michigan, which included two one-run wins, followed up with a loss to LMU at home, has been the story of the Ducks’ season. They have quality wins, but most of them have been by a run or two, while they have a couple of ugly losses on the resume.

Big Ten Softball Tier 2 Teams

3. Ohio State (31-9-1, 6-4)

Ohio State has to outslug the other NCAA Tournament-caliber teams to beat them. The Buckeyes’ pitching hasn’t performed at a high enough level to take down the UCLA’s of the softball world yet. Regardless, most teams aren’t going to sign up with joy to host Ohio State’s bats that got to Kaitlyn Terry in Westwood.

4. Nebraska (29-10, 8-3)

The Cornhuskers have been pretty dominant since dropping the series to Ohio State, aside from a pair of series finale losses in which the defense had a few miscues. The competition does get cranked up a notch in the next few weeks, starting with a series at Northwestern. Hannah Camenzind has found another level at the plate in Big Ten play, hitting .424 with five doubles and three home runs.

5. Washington (29-9, 7-2)

Washington’s sweep over a solid Wisconsin team shouldn’t be overlooked. Sophia Ramuno appeared in all three games, throwing 8.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits and striking out 14. JUCO transfer Ava Carroll has also found a home in the starting lineup, batting .393 in conference play with a pair of home runs. The Huskies earned a few votes in our Top 25 poll, and a good showing against UCLA this weekend could earn them a ranking.

Big Ten Softball Tier 3 Teams

6. Michigan (28-12, 6-4)

The Wolverines played Oregon tough in the first two games, but truthfully needed one of those wins to get off the NCAA Tournament bubble. Although, Jenissa Conway extended her hitting streak to nine games. Michigan can’t afford a loss to Rutgers this weekend, especially with Ohio State and UCLA on the horizon.

7. Northwestern (20-12-1, 9-1)

Honestly, the Wildcasts being tied for first in the conference standings feels very odd, given their form this season. Nevertheless, they host Nebraska in a series that could decide the path for their postseason aspirations this season. They’ll need Emma Raye and Kansas Robinson to stay hot. After slow starts to the season, both are batting over .340 against conference opponents.

8. Indiana (27-10, 6-5)

The Hooisers are on a bit of a hot streak, winning their last five games against Ohio State, Maryland (x3) and Louisville. Brianna Copeland had 10 RBIs during that stretch. Copeland hit her 41st career home run, setting the program’s all-time record. Indiana’s RPI is also trending in the right direction ahead of its series against Wisconsin. A series win would likely put Indiana into the Field of 64.

9. Wisconsin (24-15, 6-7)

The Badgers had a chance to follow their sweep of Iowa with another quality showing against Washington. Wisconsin didn’t necessarily play poorly, but one win would help their NCAA Tournament resume. Although, they get another chance at good wins when they host Indiana this weekend. Molly Schlosser, who is having a breakout year, enters the series on an 11-game hitting streak and has a hit in 15 of her last 16 games.

10. Iowa (22-15, 4-6)

The Hawkeyes salvaged the series finale against Nebraska but dropped a midweek to Illinois State, which hurts. Iowa saw its RPI drop nine spots after the loss. Iowa might need to go undefeated the rest of the way or at least close to it, to make the NCAA Tournament. However, it’s possible given the ease of the schedule. They will visit Maryland and Iowa State for the next four games.

Big Ten Softball Tier 4 Teams

11. Purdue (20-17, 5-8)

Julia Gossett and Madi Elish pitched the Boilermakers to a series win over Minnesota. Gossett set a new career high with 12 Ks against the Golden Gophers in a 2-1 win over Friday. Elish tossed a complete-game shutout on Saturday, allowing two hits and rolling 10 groundouts.

12. Penn State (19-18, 5-5)

During Penn State’s sweep of Rutgers, the Nittany Lions set the program’s single-season record with 54 home runs. They’ll need the power sticks going against Ohio State coming up.

13. Minnesota (14-23, 3-10)

Taylor Krapf hit her 37th career home run in a Minnesota uniform against Purdue. She needs three more to crack the Top Five All-Time List despite only being in her third season with the Golden Gophers.

14. Maryland (15-22, 3-10)

Sydney Lewis has become a centerpiece of Maryland’s lineup, hitting her eighth home run of the season against Indiana.

15. Illinois (15-19, 2-7)

Karley Yergler had one of her best outings of the season. She tossed a complete game three-hitter in the win over Northwestern.

16. Rutgers (17-24, 1-9)

The Scarlet Knights’ 11 runs in the loss against Penn State were the most they’ve scored in a Big Ten game this year, with three players having more than two RBIs.

17. Michigan State (12-20, 2-8)

The Spartans dropped a pair of games to Toledo on Friday, and it has been a tough stretch for Michigan State.

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