Washington drops for second straight week in USA Softball rankings

Despite a 3-0 week after sweeping the Minnesota Golden Gophers to remain undefeated in Big Ten play at 15-0, the Washington Huskies slipped for the second consecutive week in the USA Softball rankings, falling one spot to No. 20 in the nation.

That marks the second straight week that coach Heather Tarr's team has taken a tumble in the rankings, following a five-spot drop from No. 14 to No. 19 after going 1-3 against the combination of Saint Mary's and Stanford during a trip to Palo Alto, California.

As the Huskies look to host an NCAA Regional after needing to hit the road in the postseason for each of the last two years, they're currently sitting in last among the four ranked teams in the Big Ten, with No. 5 Nebraska, No. 8 UCLA, and No. 17 Oregon all above them.

As the Huskies make their case to host a regional and potentially a super regional, they have a strong case on both sides of the ball. Freshman outfielder Kaycie Burdick has been one of the best hitters in the Big Ten this season, as her .423 batting average ranks No. 8 in the conference, while junior third baseman Giselle Alvarez's 50 runs batted in sit at No. 6, and sophomore first baseman Alexis DeBoer's 15 home runs are tied for No. 5.

In the circle, the Huskies have one of college softball's best pitchers leading the charge in Morgan Reimer. The Canadian sophomore leads the nation with 22 wins, while her 2.03 earned run average ranks second in the Big Ten, only behind Nebraska's Jordy Frahm, the reigning National Player of the Year.

The Huskies will have a major opportunity to rise up the rankings this weekend, as they'll head south for a three-game series with their arch-rival Ducks. If UW can take the series, that should be enough to vault them up several spots in the rankings.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington drops for second straight week in USA Softball rankings