KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With the most wins in the NAIA at 44-1, Oklahoma City claims the top ranking in the fourth regular-season edition of the 2016 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, announced Tuesday by the national office. The fifth regular-season Top 25 edition will be announced April 19.
-- Courtesy of the NAIA
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000):
• Oklahoma City holds the No. 1 ranking for the second-straight week and 30th time overall. The Stars stand second on the all-time list of No. 1 rankings trailing former member California Baptist by 16 (46).
• The Stars collected 17 first-place votes and 528 total points.
• Oklahoma City leads the NAIA in total wins (44) and is on a 15-game win streak.
• Oklahoma City does battle Tuesday with No. 2-ranked St. Gregory’s (Okla.). Both clubs have a single loss in Sooner Athletic Conference action, but St. Gregory’s holds a two-game edge with a 19-1 league mark compared to 15-1 for the Stars. The Cavaliers handed Oklahoma City its only loss of the year back on March 22.
• With 506 total points, St. Gregory’s boasts its highest ranking in school history. The Cavaliers are sporting a 16-game winning streak. During that stretch, they have posted 10-or-more runs in six games.
• Sliding down one spot is No. 3 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.). The defending national champion corralled the remaining two-first-place votes.
• No. 4 Campbellsville (Ky.) and No. 5 Saint Xavier (Ill.) flip positions from last week. Both programs have been in the top five in each of the last four polls.
• No. 18 Southern Oregon enjoys the best jump within the Top 25, improving seven spots. The Raiders have won seven of their last eight contests to improve to 28-12 overall.
• No. 24 Oregon Tech falls five positions for the largest tumble.
• No. 23 Brenau (Ga.) is the lone rookie this week. The Tigers, who stand 21-16 on the year, are ranked for the first time since March 17, 2015 (No. 21). Brenau is on a five-game winning streak after sweeping defending national champion and No. 3 Auburn Montgomery on April 9.
• No. 9 LSU Alexandria (La.) has now been in the top 10 in 24-straight polls dating back to 2014.
• Oklahoma City leads all active schools with 116-straight rankings, falling no lower than 18th during that stretch, which goes back to the start of the 2004 season. William Carey (Miss.) is second with 79-consecutive mentions. Next in line for consecutive streaks is Auburn Montgomery at 45-straight; St. Gregory’s at 43 and Lindsey Wilson at 40.
• Former member California Baptist tops the charts of most all-time No. 1 mentions with 46. Oklahoma City is second all-time with 30, followed by former member Concordia (Calif.) with 24, Simon Fraser (B.C.) with 18 and Thomas (Ga.) with 13.
• Seventeen of 19 conferences are represented in the poll this week.
• The Southern States Athletic Conference leads all leagues with four schools representing: Auburn Montgomery, No. 6 William Carey, No. 13 Martin Methodist (Tenn.) and Brenau. Overall, six conferences send multiple schools into the Top 25.
• Through five polls this year (including Preseason), there have been 38 different ranked teams.
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”
• For the complete calendar of 2016 Top 25 Polls, click here
.2016 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – April 12 (No. 4)
| Rank | Last Week | School (1st-Place Votes) | Record | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Oklahoma City (17) | 44-1 | 528 |
| 2 | 3 | St. Gregory's (Okla.) | 33-3 | 506 |
| 3 | 2 | Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) (2) | 36-5 | 494 |
| 4 | 5 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 37-7 | 473 |
| 5 | 4 | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | 24-4 | 472 |
| 6 | 7 | William Carey (Miss.) | 28-11 | 444 |
| 7 | 8 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 30-10 | 416 |
| 8 | 9 | Simpson (Calif.) | 20-3 | 397 |
| 9 | 6 | LSU Alexandria | 32-9 | 392 |
| 10 | 10 | Georgia Gwinnett | 35-13 | 374 |
| 11 | 11 | Davenport (Mich.) | 22-7 | 366 |
| 12 | 12 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 32-10 | 353 |
| 13 | 13 | Martin Methodist (Tenn.) | 34-11 | 320 |
| 14 | 14 | Morningside (Iowa) | 28-6 | 306 |
| 15 | 15 | Dickinson State (N.D.) | 26-7 | 280 |
| 16 | 16 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 33-10 | 279 |
| 17 | 20 | Marian (Ind.) | 22-6 | 229 |
| 18 | 25 | Southern Oregon | 28-12 | 212 |
| 19 | 23 | Grand View (Iowa) | 30-6 | 204 |
| 20 | 21 | Houston-Victoria (Texas) | 30-10 | 189 |
| 21 | 18 | Arizona Christian | 29-13-1 | 183 |
| 22 | 22 | Williams Baptist (Ark.) | 25-12 | 139 |
| 23 | NR | Brenau (Ga.) | 21-16 | 136 |
| 24 | 19 | Oregon Tech | 22-15 | 121 |
| 25 | 24 | San Diego Christian (Calif.) | 26-11 | 113 |
Dropped from rankings:No. 17 Mobile (Ala.).Others Receiving Votes: Rio Grande (Ohio) 109; Friends (Kan.) 72; Mobile (Ala.) 66; Indiana Wesleyan 63; Corban (Ore.) 39; Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) 24; Evangel (Mo.) 21; Menlo (Calif.) 8; Georgetown (Ky.) 8; Indiana Southeast 6; Doane (Neb.) 6; Concordia (Neb.) 5; Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) 3; Science & Arts (Okla.) 3; Bellevue (Neb.) 3.
