CHARLOTTE, N.C.- After splitting a pair of Citrus Conference doubleheaders against ranked opponents last week, the Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers dropped one spot in the NJCAA Week Eight National Rankings on Monday, giving up their stranglehold on the #1 spot as they slid down to #2 with their 39-5 record on the year.

The Bucs continued a grueling portion of their schedule last week, splitting with #3 Indian River at home at Buccaneers Park on Tuesday, clinching the season series and therefore a key tiebreaker over the Pioneers, as the two are now tied for the Citrus Conference lead with 10 games left to go. It didn't get any easier on Thursday as the Bucs traveled up I-75 to take on #21 Santa Fe, blanking the Saints on their home field 5-0 in game one before letting a lead slip late in game two for a 5-4 Santa Fe walk off to split the doubleheader.

For the first time in a month, there was a shift at the top of the rankings where McLennan jumped up three spots to #1 with FSW going down one to #2, Indian River staying pat at #3, and Northwest Florida losing two spots to #4 despite riding a 34 game winning streak. Grayson flip flopped spots with Trinity Valley to round out the top five. Florida was once again well represented with nine teams in the Top 25. Behind the top three, Seminole State moved to #7 with Miami Dade right behind them at #8, Daytona slid two spots to #12, Eastern Florida moved up to #18, Santa Fe gained two spots to #19, and Chipola rounded out the Sunshine State crew at #21.

The slate doesn't get any easier for the Bucs on Tuesday as they hit the road again to take on another Top 10 foe in Miami Dade with first pitch of their Citrus Conference doubleheader slated for 4 PM.

NJCAA DIVISION I SOFTBALL WEEK EIGHT NATIONAL RANKINGS