KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the first time in school history, Science & Arts (Okla.) is ranked No. 1 after winning its first-ever World Series championship, announced Wednesday by the national office. The Drovers (57-5) collected all 18 first-place votes and 498 total points in the 2018 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Postseason Poll.
Top 25 Highlights:
- National champion Science & Arts (Okla.) won the World Series with a 4-1 victory against Columbia (Mo.) on May 31. The Drovers rattled through the event unscathed with a 4-0 mark.
- As a team, the Drovers ranked sixth in the NAIA in runs scored per game (7.0) and 21st in batting average (.331).
- National runner-up Columbia climbed up to No. 2 in the postseason edition. With a 37-16 record, the Cougars claimed its highest postseason finish and tied its highest Top 25 ranking – No. 2 on Jan. 16, 2018 (preseason).
- No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan claims the most wins in the NAIA with a 58-12 mark.
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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2018 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Postseason Poll
| RANK | LAST WEEK^ | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2018 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 5 | Science & Arts (Okla.) (18) | 57-5 | 498 |
| 2 | RV | Columbia (Mo.) | 37-16 | 477 |
| 3 | 8 | Southern Oregon | 51-15 | 458 |
| 4 | 2 | Oklahoma City | 53-9 | 454 |
| 5 | 1 | Georgia Gwinnett | 53-6 | 433 |
| 6 | 3 | Marian (Ind.) | 51-7 | 425 |
| 7 | 7 | Indiana Wesleyan | 58-12 | 402 |
| 8 | 9 | Mobile (Ala.) | 45-15 | 372 |
| 9 | 21 | Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) | 36-16 | 366 |
| 10 | 17 | Faulkner (Ala.) | 47-15 | 351 |
| 11 | 4 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 47-10 | 350 |
| 12 | 6 | Hope International (Calif.) | 47-11 | 309 |
| 13 | 20 | Oregon Tech | 39-15 | 263 |
| 14 | 10 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 50-12 | 260 |
| 15 | 15 | St. Francis (Ill.) | 41-9 | 255 |
| 16 | 16 | Grand View (Iowa) | 48-10 | 249 |
| 17 | 12 | Thomas (Ga.) | 39-16 | 232 |
| 18 | 11 | Jamestown (N.D.) | 44-9 | 230 |
| 19 | 13 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 40-16 | 227 |
| 20 | 14 | Corban (Ore.) | 37-15 | 214 |
| 21 | 18 | Central Methodist (Mo.) | 43-11 | 196 |
| 22 | 19 | William Carey (Miss.) | 39-15 | 167 |
| 23 | 23 | Truett-McConnell (Ga.) | 43-17 | 164 |
| 24 | 22 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 40-18 | 112 |
| 25 | T25 | Baker (Kan.) | 40-16 | 91 |
Others Receiving Votes: Rio Grande (Ohio) 64; Midland (Neb.) 62; Valley City State (N.D.) 60; Saint Xavier (Ill.) 43; Tabor (Kan.) 36; Aquinas (Mich.) 32; Morningside (Iowa) 25; Brenau (Ga.) 23; Houston-Victoria (Texas) 9; Texas Wesleyan 9;Georgetown (Ky.) 7; Simpson (Calif.) 6; USC Beaufort (S.C.) 5.
Dropped Out: No. 24 Rio Grande (Ohio); No. 25 (tie) Valley City State (N.D.)
^ Previous ranking occurred May 8, 2018
-- Courtesy of NAIA
