KANSAS CITY, Mo. - For the fourth-straight week, Georgia Gwinnett latches on as the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, announced Tuesday by the national office. The Grizzlies (43-2) gathered all 19 first-place votes and 529 total points.
- Georgia Gwinnett has won 24-straight contests dating back to a March 16th victory against Kentucky Christian.
- In national statistical rankings, the Grizzlies are second in stolen bases per game (3.00), batting average (.376) and fielding percentage (.973). Niki Cook ranks first in the NAIA in total stolen bases with 49. She needs five more to crack into the all-time NAIA regular-season top 10 list.
- No. 7 Vanguard (Calif.) claims the most wins in the NAIA with a 48-8 mark.
- No. 21 Southeastern (Fla.) and No. 22 Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) are the only rookies this week. Southeastern was last ranked in the 2018 Preseason Top 25 at the No. 16 spot. The Lions are mentioned for the first time this year with the last being on April 18, 2017 in the No. 22 position.
2018 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – Poll No. 4 (April 24, 2018)
| Rank | Last | School (First Place) | Record | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Georgia Gwinnett (19) | 43-2 | 529 |
| 2 | 2 | Marian (Ind.) | 36-2 | 504 |
| 3 | 3 | Science & Arts (Okla.) | 44-3 | 501 |
| 4 | 4 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 39-6 | 473 |
| 5 | 5 | Oklahoma City | 41-6 | 469 |
| 6 | 6 | Hope International (Calif.) | 43-9 | 426 |
| 7 | 8 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 48-8 | 412 |
| 8 | 9 | Southern Oregon | 38-11 | 402 |
| 9 | 7 | Mobile (Ala.) | 36-11 | 390 |
| 10 | 11 | Indiana Wesleyan | 41-8 | 386 |
| 11 | 9 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 35-10 | 341 |
| 12 | 13 | Corban (Ore.) | 31-10 | 333 |
| 13 | 18 | Faulkner (Ala.) | 42-8 | 323 |
| 14 | 14 | Thomas (Ga.) | 32-12 | 304 |
| 15 | 16 | Jamestown (N.D.) | 33-6 | 303 |
| 16 | 19 | St. Francis (Ill.) | 26-6 | 271 |
| 17 | T22 | Grand View (Iowa) | 33-6 | 267 |
| 18 | 12 | William Carey (Miss.) | 31-13 | 241 |
| 19 | 17 | Central Methodist (Mo.) | 31-7 | 223 |
| 20 | T22 | Oregon Tech | 31-11 | 187 |
| 21 | RV | Southeastern (Fla.) | 38-13 | 150 |
| 22 | RV | Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) | 26-11 | 138 |
| 23 | T25 | Morningside (Iowa) | 23-10 | 123 |
| 24 | 20 | Warner (Fla.) | 31-12 | 119 |
| 25 | T25 | Baker (Kan.) | 31-9 | 106 |
Others Receiving Votes: Rio Grande (Ohio) 92; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 79; Truett-McConnell (Ga.) 75; Valley City State (N.D.) 57; Georgetown (Ky.) 39; Lyon (Ark.) 29; Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) 23; Aquinas (Mich.) 12; Simpson (Calif.) 12; William Jessup (Calif.) 11;Northwestern (Iowa) 10; Tabor (Kan.) 9; Columbia (Mo.) 4.
Dropped Out: No. 15 Columbia (Mo.), No. 21 Brenau (Ga.), No. 24 Ottawa (Kan.).
^ Previous ranking occurred April 10, 2018 (Poll No. 3)
Poll Methodology
- The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and the Association of Independent Institutions.
- The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place and so on through the list.
- The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low ratings) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appears on.
- Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”
- Frequency of polls occur bi-weekly.
- For the complete calendar of 2018 Top 25 Polls,click here
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-- Courtesy of NAIA
