Ranked Teams Fall as College Softball Opens with Major Upsets
Upsets Were Brought on Opening Weekend
The opening weekend of Division I college softball brought a ton of excitement for players and fans. While no champion is crowned in February and no season derailed, this is the season of overreactions and hot takes. This weekend saw several upsets, and while some weren’t huge, there were some that made you say wow.
I wholeheartedly believe that the parity in college sports gets greater and greater every year. With the massive use of the transfer portal, NIL, and those that I like to think of as “super freshmen,” you just never know what you are going to get these days. I believe that is a beautiful thing and great for sports. Who wants to see a predictable product?
For those that like to look at beginning of the year events and form heavy opinions, go ahead. That is your right, and you may turn out to be correct down the road, who knows? Now that I’ve said that, I will list some of my big upsets of the weekend. I won’t go into game by game details, but there were certainly some attention grabbers.
Upsets of the Weekend
- Michigan State defeats No. 12 Clemson
- Southeastern Louisiana defeats No. 5 Oregon
- Belmont defeats No. 15 Georgia
- Boston defeats No. 19 Duke
Southeastern Louisiana deserves respect. Don’t get it twisted, this is a program that has beaten top-caliber teams over the years, and their fifth inning today showed just how much they can do even when an “ace” is in the circle. Lyndsey Grein came into the game for Oregon and had a 2-0 lead and inherited one base runner at first with no outs.
Things would change quickly, and the Lions would find themselves up 4-2 before the inning was over and Grein chased from the game. Some may say that Grein could have been fatigued after throwing a decent amount this weekend. Her command was a little here and there, and that allowed Southeastern to take advantage. Whatever the case, Southeastern took what they got and made it work.
Also, how about the Lions’ pitching staff to keep Oregon to four hits and two runs in the game. Hallie Burns went 4.2 innings and only allowed two hits, while striking out five.
“Our pitching staff as a whole was stellar today, but Burns was a staple in the middle of the rotation and really ate up their lineup,” Fremin stated, via Southeastern Louisiana Athletics. “Burns is truly finding herself in her second season with us. She maximized her opportunity and did a phenomenal job this week.”
That is a big outing against an Oregon lineup that has talent. Keep an eye on Southeastern this season, as you should every season. They’re not sneaking up on anyone come May. This is a program that has defeated the likes of Clemson, LSU, and Ole Miss over the last couple of years. They have a program and culture that just likes to work and win.
“I’d put today’s win right up there with the two Regional wins last season at LSU, considering the caliber of program Oregon is on a national level,” Fremin added. “Our team was prepared for the moment and took advantage of this opportunity to share our story on a national stage on MLB Network. We’re so thankful to our fans and we’re hopeful that we made a few new fans throughout the weekend.”
I wanted to speak on that game for the simple fact of shining a light on a team that those unfamiliar can now really take notice of. Yes, Oregon is No. 5 in the country and went to OKC last season, so on and so forth, but anyone can be beaten, and don’t let a name or a ranking fog your view on things.
Coach Fremin’s Quotes credited to Southeastern Louisiana Athletics’ Release
