Completed Event: Softball at App State on April 18, 2026 , Win , 9, to, 3
SB
Final
James Madison
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at App State
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James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Dukes Finish Fourth in the National Polls
6/15/2021 3:00:00 PM | Softball
HARRISONBURG, Va. – After its historic 2021 campaign, James Madison finished No. 4 in the final 2021 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25, as announced by the associations on Tuesday afternoon.
This is the seventh week the Dukes have been in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 and fifth week in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll.
This is the first time the program has earned a spot in the top five, with the last highest ranking coming in 2016 when the Dukes checked in at No. 8 in both polls. Prior to the start of the Women's College World Series, the Dukes were ranked No. 22 and 21 in the polls, respectively, and became the first ever unseeded team to go 2-0 at the WCWS and reach the semifinals.
JMU finished the season 41-4, 10-3 in postseason play with its run ending at the WCWS semifinal as the Dukes fell to the 2021 NCAA Champion Oklahoma. The Dukes were a No. 3 seed at the Knoxville Regional and swept it to move on to the Columbia Super Regional where they defeated No. 8 Missouri in game one and three to punch their ticket to the program's first ever WCWS.
The team finished seventh in the nation for home runs per game (1.58), seventh in scoring (6.76), ninth in on base percentage (.409), sixth in slugging percentage (.562) and second in win-loss percentage (.911) behind the 2021 National Champions.Â
The pitching staff, led by Odicci Alexander, finished eighth in the nation for ERA (1.79) and 13th for strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.78).
This is the seventh week the Dukes have been in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 and fifth week in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll.
This is the first time the program has earned a spot in the top five, with the last highest ranking coming in 2016 when the Dukes checked in at No. 8 in both polls. Prior to the start of the Women's College World Series, the Dukes were ranked No. 22 and 21 in the polls, respectively, and became the first ever unseeded team to go 2-0 at the WCWS and reach the semifinals.
JMU finished the season 41-4, 10-3 in postseason play with its run ending at the WCWS semifinal as the Dukes fell to the 2021 NCAA Champion Oklahoma. The Dukes were a No. 3 seed at the Knoxville Regional and swept it to move on to the Columbia Super Regional where they defeated No. 8 Missouri in game one and three to punch their ticket to the program's first ever WCWS.
The team finished seventh in the nation for home runs per game (1.58), seventh in scoring (6.76), ninth in on base percentage (.409), sixth in slugging percentage (.562) and second in win-loss percentage (.911) behind the 2021 National Champions.Â
The pitching staff, led by Odicci Alexander, finished eighth in the nation for ERA (1.79) and 13th for strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.78).
Players Mentioned
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Saturday, May 10
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Monday, June 03
