LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With No. 1 West Texas A&M dropping a game last week, Indianapolis and Tampa closed the gap on the Lady Buffs and made it a race for the top spot in this week’s 2024 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll.
All three programs received first-place votes, but WT with seven (388 points), edged out No. 2 Indianapolis (385 points) with six and No. 3 Tampa (379 points) with three to hang on to No. 1 for the fourth consecutive week.
The Lady Buffs (43-5) won their Lone Star Conference (LSC) series at Cameron, scoring 10 runs in their two victories, but suffering their first shutout of 2024 in the program’s 47th contest of the season and first in 52 games.
The Greyhounds (44-3) leapfrogged the Spartans (38-6) for the No. 2 spot this week. UIndy, which collected six victories last week, ran its win streak to 15 and have won 35 of their last 36. Tampa extended its win streak to eight games with a three-game sweep of Eckerd at home and have notched 26 triumphs in its last 28 contests.
With then-No. 4 North Georgia and then-No. 8 Rogers State dropping contests, more shuffling took place in the top 10. No. 4 UT Tyler, No. 5 Central Oklahoma and No. 6 Colorado Christian all shifted up one position, while a red-hot Wingate elevated three spots to No. 7.
The Patriots (40-7) swept Texas A&M International on the road and the Bronchos (40-8) went 3-1 away from home in league play to both reach the 40-win plateau. The seventh-ranked Cougars (45-4) extended their win streak to 24 contests after a four-game sweep at Black Hills State.
The previously-mentioned NightHawks (43-8) and Hillcats (36-10) dipped to No. 8 and No. 12, respectively.
No. 9 Pitt State (45-4) was the only program to stay put after it had its 11-game win streak snapped, while No. 10 Mississippi College made its return to the top 10. The Gulf South-leading Choctaws (39-6) swept West Georgia at home pushing their win streak to 13.
Also making multiple-spot moves up the poll were No. 11 Charleston (39-2), No. 14 Northwest Nazarene (37-8), No. 19 Wilmington (33-12) and No. 21 Francis Marion (41-10). Additionally, Colorado Mesa (37-7), which owns Division II’s longest active win streak (27), entered the rankings this week at No. 25.
The 2024 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by the NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll Committee. The committee consists of 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the NCAA’s eight regions. Results are through Sunday, April 21. The poll is revealed on Tuesdays at Noon ET through the remainder of the regular season.
2024 NFCA Division II Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll
4/23/24 (Week 11)
|
Rank |
School |
Points |
Record |
Previous Ranking |
|
1 |
West Texas A&M (7) |
388 |
43-5 |
1 |
|
2 |
Indianapolis (6) |
385 |
44-3 |
3 |
|
3 |
Tampa (3) |
379 |
38-6 |
2 |
|
4 |
UT Tyler |
344 |
40-7 |
5 |
|
5 |
Central Oklahoma |
326 |
40-8 |
6 |
|
6 |
Colorado Christian |
305 |
45-4 |
7 |
|
7 |
Wingate |
300 |
44-7 |
10 |
|
8 |
North Georgia |
293 |
43-8 |
4 |
|
9 |
Pittsburg State |
285 |
45-5 |
9 |
|
10 |
Mississippi College |
249 |
39-6 |
12 |
|
11 |
Charleston |
238 |
39-2 |
13 |
|
12 |
Rogers State |
234 |
36-10 |
8 |
|
13 |
Western Washington |
219 |
36-6 |
11 |
|
14 |
Northwest Nazarene |
175 |
37-8 |
17 |
|
15 |
East Stroudsburg |
170 |
36-12 |
14 |
|
16 |
AUM |
163 |
33-11 |
15 |
|
17 |
Concordia |
141 |
35-11 |
16 |
|
18 |
Grand Valley State |
115 |
30-13 |
18 |
|
19 |
Wilmington |
101 |
33-12 |
21 |
|
20 |
Rollins |
87 |
32-11 |
20 |
|
21 |
Francis Marion |
80 |
41-10 |
24 |
|
22 |
Angelo State |
64 |
36-13 |
22 |
|
23 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
52 |
39-13 |
19 |
|
24 |
Washburn |
49 |
36-12 |
23 |
|
25 |
Colorado Mesa |
24 |
37-7 |
RV |
New to Poll: No. 25 Colorado Mesa
Dropped Out: No. 25 UAH
Receiving Votes: UAH (17), Oklahoma Baptist (12), Cal State Dominguez Hills (3), Trevecca Nazarene (2)
The 2024 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by the NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll Committee. The committee consists of 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the NCAA’s eight regions. Records reflect games played through April 21.
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