KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After ending 2021 as the national runners-up, Oregon Tech will begin 2022 as the top team in the preseason edition of the NAIA Softball Coaches' Top 25 Poll. The Owls received 17 of 18 first place votes after finishing the season 48-10 a year ago.
College of Idaho took the No. 2 spot with Science & Arts (Okla.) just behind at No. 3. The Drovers were the lone team to receive a first-place vote outside of Oregon Tech. Oklahoma City and defending national champion Southern Oregon rounded-out the top five at Nos. 4 and 5 respectively.
The poll is voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and the Association of Independent Institutions.
2022 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 PRESEASON Poll (January 12, 2022)
| RANK | LAST YEAR | SCHOOL [1st Place Votes] | 2021 RECORD | FINAL POINTS |
| 1 | 2 | Oregon Tech [17] | 48-10 | 498 |
| 2 | 3 | College of Idaho | 44-19 | 473 |
| 3 | 9 | Science & Arts (Okla.) [1] | 49-8 | 460 |
| 4 | 8 | Oklahoma City | 44-6 | 421 |
| 5 | 1 | Southern Oregon | 55-6 | 416 |
| 6 | 7 | Columbia (Mo.) | 35-7 | 412 |
| 7 | 4 | Ottawa (Kan.) | 45-7 | 410 |
| 8 | 10 | Indiana Wesleyan | 44-9 | 397 |
| 9 | 5 | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 34-8 | 358 |
| 10 | 16 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 41-13 | 351 |
| 11 | 14 | Georgia Gwinnett | 33-13 | 348 |
| 12 | 11 | Grand View (Iowa) | 44-13 | 336 |
| 13 | 12 | Central Methodist (Mo.) | 50-9 | 290 |
| 14 | 13 | Madonna (Mich.) | 34-11 | 255 |
| 15 | 25 | Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) | 41-13 | 241 |
| 16 | 21 | William Carey (Miss.) | 39-11 | 240 |
| 17 | 19 | Hope International (Calif.) | 30-11 | 233 |
| 18 | 22 | Marian (Ind.) | 45-15 | 218 |
| 19 | 15 | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | 36-4 | 216 |
| 20 | RV | Morningside (Iowa) | 43-11 | 210 |
| 21 | 18 | Milligan (Tenn.) | 32-9 | 181 |
| 22 | RV | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 41-16 | 139 |
| 23 | 6 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 39-11 | 125 |
| 24 | RV | Central Baptist (Ark.) | 34-15 | 105 |
| 25 | 19 | Houston-Victoria (Texas) | 23-23 | 103 |
Dropped from the Top 25: Mount Mercy (Iowa), Midland (Neb.), Bethany (Kan.)
Others Receiving Votes: Bethany (Kan.) 67, Coastal Georgia 64, Jamestown (N.D.) 62, Mount Mercy (Iowa) 52, Rio Grande (Ohio) 49, Reinhardt (Ga.) 39, Dickinson State (N.D.) 35, Taylor (Ind.) 21, Aquinas (Mich.) 19, Simpson (Calif.) 14, Mobile (Ala.) 12, Midland (Neb.) 11, Webber International (Fla.) 7, Vanguard (Calif.) 6, Indiana Southeast (Ind.) 3, Truett McConnell (Ga.) 3, Texas A&M Texarkana 3.
-- Courtesy of NAIA
