January 24, 2006
The defending Big 12 Champion Texas A&M softball team earned a No. 6 ranking in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 preseason poll, released Tuesday.
Defending national champion Michigan was picked No. 1, followed by UCLA, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona and A&M. California, Alabama, Stanford and Baylor round out the top 10.
The Aggies will play at least 18 games in 2006 against 10 teams ranked in the poll. UCLA (No. 2), Texas (No. 4), Arizona (No. 5), Baylor (No. 10), Oregon State (No. 12), Oklahoma (No. 13), Fresno State (No. 17), Missouri (No. 18), Nebraska (No. 22) and BYU (No. 25) all appear on A&M's schedule this spring.
The Big 12 placed three teams in the top 10 and a total of six in the top 25. The Pac-10 also placed six teams in the poll.
Texas A&M will open the season at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. on Friday, Feb. 10. The Aggies will meet No. 17 Fresno State at 3 p.m. (CST) Friday, followed by a game against Nevada. A&M opens its home schedule on Wednesday, Feb. 15 with a doubleheader against Texas-San Antonio. Season and individual game tickets are available now by calling 1-888-99-AGGIE.
ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason Top 25 Poll
| Rank | Team (First-Place) | '05 Record | Points |
| 1. | Michigan (16) | 65-7 | 494 |
| 2. | UCLA (3) | 40-20 | 468 |
| 3. | Tennessee | 67-15 | 437 |
| 4. | Texas (1) | 49-13 | 436 |
| 5. | Arizona | 45-12 | 421 |
| 6. | Texas A&M | 52-15 | 391 |
| 7. | California | 63-15 | 381 |
| 8. | Alabama | 43-16 | 357 |
| 9. | Stanford | 47-10 | 352 |
| 10. | Baylor | 55-15 | 292 |
| 11. | Georgia | 45-21 | 272 |
| 12. | Oregon State | 54-17 | 259 |
| 13. | Oklahoma | 51-14 | 255 |
| 14. | Washington | 43-16 | 206 |
| 15. | Northwestern | 43-12 | 195 |
| 16. | DePaul | 42-18 | 173 |
| 17. | Fresno State | 35-22 | 145 |
| 18. | Missouri | 44-15 | 126 |
| 19. | Iowa | 51-10 | 125 |
| 20. | Auburn | 50-13 | 112 |
| 21. | Louisiana-Lafayette | 49-14 | 106 |
| 22. | Nebraska | 50-17 | 92 |
| 23. | Florida | 49-19 | 68 |
| 24. | Georgia Tech | 47-14 | 57 |
| 25. | BYU | 36-23 | 56 |
| Others receiving votes: Cal State Fullerton (40), LSU (38), Florida State (22), Southern Illinois (16), Oregon (13), Notre Dame (12), Virginia Tech (11), UNLV (11), Arizona State (10), Bethune-Cookman (9), Long Beach State (8), Pacific (7), Oklahoma State (5), South Florida (5), North Carolina State (5), Kansas (3), Louisville (3), Hofstra (2), Wichita State (2), North Carolina (1). | |||
The ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll is voted on by NCAA Division I coaches representing 15 different ASA regions and 11 different collegiate conferences. The poll is also voted on by selected softball media members.