KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Southern Oregon is ranked No. 1 to start the 2020 season after bringing home its first-ever national title in 2019. The Raiders collected 18 first-place votes and 529 total points in the 2020 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Preseason Poll.
Southern Oregon captured the 2019 NAIA Softball World Series with an 8-3 victory over 10-time champion, Oklahoma City University. The Raiders (52-8) return eight starters, including Schutt Sports/NFCA NAIA Pitcher of the Year Gabby Sandoval as well as World Series MVP and NFCA All-American Lauren Quirke.
Science & Arts (Okla.) comes in at No. 2 with 511 points and one first-place vote. The Rovers (59-4) return NFCA First-Team All-Americans Emily Cerny and Kristen Prieto. National runner-up Oklahoma City (61-8), Marian (Ind.) (54-3) and Georgia Gwinnett (46-16) make up the three, four and five spots.
Two more 50-win teams, Lindsay Wilson (52-5) and Mobile (52-13) follow at No. 6 and 7, while Oregon Tech (44-17), Vanguard (46-13) and Valley City State (54-4) round out the top 10.
The poll is 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 rating) 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 appear on.
- Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes.”
- The frequency of polls will occurs bi-weekly.
2020 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Preseason Poll- January 15
| RANK | LAST WEEK | SCHOOL [1ST PLACE VOTES] | RECORD | FINAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Southern Oregon [18] | 52-8 | 529 |
| 2 | 3 | Science & Arts (Okla.) [1] | 59-4 | 511 |
| 3 | 2 | Oklahoma City | 61-8 | 494 |
| 4 | 5 | Marian (Ind.) | 54-3 | 465 |
| 5 | 4 | Georgia Gwinnett | 46-16 | 454 |
| 5 | 6 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 52-5 | 454 |
| 7 | 7 | Mobile (Ala.) | 52-13 | 434 |
| 8 | 8 | Oregon Tech | 44-17 | 406 |
| 9 | 9 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 46-13 | 391 |
| 10 | 10 | Valley City State (N.D.) | 54-5 | 359 |
| 11 | 11 | Hope International (Calif.) | 46-14 | 353 |
| 12 | 13 | Indiana Wesleyan | 44-15-1 | 342 |
| 13 | 14 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 35-15 | 308 |
| 14 | 18 | Truett-McConnell (Ga.) | 42-9 | 302 |
| 15 | 15 | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 40-10 | 286 |
| 16 | 16 | Columbia (Mo.) | 37-12 | 284 |
| 17 | 17 | Grand View (Iowa) | 48-11 | 278 |
| 18 | 21 | William Carey (Miss.) | 37-16 | 230 |
| 19 | 20 | College of Idaho | 40-17 | 225 |
| 20 | 22 | USC Beaufort (S.C.) | 40-13 | 194 |
| 21 | RV | LSU Alexandria (La.) | 34-16 | 180 |
| 22 | 24 | Morningside (Iowa) | 31-11 | 143 |
| 23 | 19 | Houston-Victoria (Texas) | 33-12 | 115 |
| 24 | 25 | Corban (Ore.) | 37-16 | 89 |
| 25 | RV | Marymount California | 34-13 | 83 |
Receiving Votes: Brenau (Ga.) 76, Rio Grande (Ohio) 69, Bellevue (Neb.) 59, St. Francis (Ill.) 38, Central Baptist (Ark.) 34, Arizona Christian 30, Midland (Neb.) 28, Madonna (Mich.) 27, Taylor (Ind.) 26, Cumberlands (Ky.) 20, Coastal Georgia 19, Simpson (Calif.) 12, Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 10, Central Methodist (Mo.) 8, McPherson (Kan.) 8, Reinhardt (Ga.) 5, Lawrence Tech (Mich.) 5
-- Courtesy of NAIA
