USA Today/NFCA Final Poll
ESPN.com/USA Softball Final Poll

The University of Hawai'i softball team's post-season run to the 2010 Women's College World Series catapulted the 'Bows to No. 7 in both the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association and the ESPN.com/USA Softball final polls. It is the highest finish for the Rainbow Wahine in school history.

 

Hawai'i posted a 50-16 overall record—hitting the 50-win mark for just the third time—en route to its first ever appearance in the WCWS. The 'Bows won both the Western Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles before sweeping through the Stanford Regional, where they defeated UC Davis, No. 15/17 Stanford and Texas Tech. Hawai'i, the 16th seed in the NCAA tournament, then won the Tuscaloosa Super Regional, defeating the No. 1 seed Alabama. The 'Bows lost the first game, 8-0 in five innings, but bounced back and held on to an 8-7 win in the second game of the double header that  snapped the Crimson Tide's 28-game win streak. Hawa'i then punched their ticket to the WCWS on Jenna Rodriguez's dramatic two-run, two-out, walk off home run to defeat Alabama, 5-4.

 

The Rainbow Wahine entered the postseason ranked 19th in the ESPN.com poll and 23rd in the NFCA poll. In the WCWS, UH defeated Missouri before losing to Arizona and eventual champion, UCLA, to close their season.

Hawai'i shattered the previous NCAA single season home record of 134 set last season by Arizona with 158 homers this season. Eight Rainbow Wahine had at least 11 home runs, lead by All-American Kelly Majam's NCAA-best, 30. Thirteen different UH players hit at least one round-tripper this season. The 'Bows also set new single-season records in most runs scored (488), most RBI (449), most doubles (92), most walks (185), and most hits (578).

 

WCWS champion UCLA received all 30 first-place votes in the poll released today and was followed by Arizona, Georgia, Tennessee, Washington, Florida, Hawaii, Missouri, Alabama and Michigan

 
Hawai'i's top finishes in the NFCA poll

1995 - 10th

1998 - 14th

1999 - 21st

2007 - 12th