KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two-time defending national champion Oklahoma City will begin the 2018 season with the unanimous No. 1 ranking in the NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Preseason Poll, announced Tuesday by the national office. The Stars captured all 19 first-place votes and 529 total points. 

Ranked No. 1 for 15-consecutive polls, Oklahoma City holds the the longest streak by an NAIA program since former member Concordia (Calif.) went 18-consecutive weeks at No. 1 (2013 & 2014). The Stars posted a perfect 4-0 mark at the 2017 NAIA Softball World Series and defeated Corban 4-1 to capture their 10th overall title. They finished with a NAIA-record 68-1 mark, surpassing the previous record of 67 wins set by OCU in 2016. The Stars started the year 47-0 before suffering their lone defeat to top-10 NCAA Division II power West Texas A&M.

Rounding out the top five are No. 2 Columbia (Mo.), No. 3 Southern Oregon, No. 4 Marian (Ind.) and No. 5 Brenau (Ga.) tied with No. 5 Corban (Ore.).

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.

-- Courtesy of NAIA