LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Riding a 21-game win streak, the University of Indianapolis elevated to the top spot in this week’s 2024 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Greyhounds (50-3) supplanted West Texas A&M, which held the No. 1 position for the last four weeks.
Following a six-win week, UIndy became the first NCAA program to reach 50 victories in 2024, its second straight 50-win season and fourth in program history. Additionally, head coach Melissa Frost became UIndy’s all-time winningest coach regardless of sport, surpassing former baseball coach Gary Vaught with her 809th victory on April 28.
The Lady Buffs (45-6) come in at No. 2 and are followed by Lone Star Conference foe UT Tyler at No. 3. The two programs tied for the LSC regular-season title, but WT earned the top seed because of its three-game sweep of the Patriots (46-7).
Making two of the biggest jumps in this week’s rankings are Mississippi College and Pittsburg State, who rose six and five spots respectively, and tied at No. 4. The Gulf South regular-season champion Choctaws (42-6) have won 16 straight and 25 of their last 26. The Gorillas (49-5), who were the co-champions of the MIAA, won their first regular-season league title in 30 years.
North Georgia moved into the No. 6 spot after advancing to this week’s Peach Belt Conference Championship Series.
No. 7 Tampa (39-8), No. 8 Wingate (46-9), No. 9 Central Oklahoma (41-11) and No. 10 Colorado Christian (47-6) did dip in the rankings, but remained in the top 10.
Additionally, No. 20 Francis Marion (45-11) collected its second straight Conference Carolinas Tournament title, courtesy of Katie Smith’s two-run walk-off home run in a 7-5 victory in the winner-take-all matchup against Emmanuel. The Patriots are the first of 23 programs to earn an automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division II Softball Championship field.
Also starting its conference tournament run is No. 23 Lenoir-Rhyne, which advanced to the Southern Athletic Conference Championship Series following two wins on the final day against then-No. 7 Wingate.
Trevecca Nazarene (41-11) joined the top 25 this week at No. 22, while 24th-ranked Colorado Mesa rode its NCAA-best 33-game win streak into an outright Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular-season championship.
Joining the Peach Belt and SAC, 19 other conferences will crown a tournament champion this week. The Sunshine State Conference’s automatic bid comes down the final weekend of the regular season as Tampa and Saint Leo, who are separated by one game, go head to head in a three-game series in Saint Leo.
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 28. 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
4/30/24 (Week 12)
|
Rank |
School |
Points |
Record |
Previous Ranking |
|
1 |
Indianapolis (12) |
396 |
50-3 |
2 |
|
2 |
West Texas A&M (4) |
388 |
45-6 |
1 |
|
3 |
UT Tyler |
364 |
46-7 |
4 |
|
4 |
Mississippi College |
328 |
42-6 |
10 |
|
4 |
Pittsburg State |
328 |
49-5 |
9 |
|
6 |
North Georgia |
325 |
46-8 |
8 |
|
7 |
Tampa |
315 |
39-8 |
3 |
|
8 |
Wingate |
279 |
46-9 |
7 |
|
9 |
Central Oklahoma |
273 |
41-11 |
5 |
|
10 |
Colorado Christian |
252 |
47-6 |
6 |
|
11 |
Charleston |
249 |
41-4 |
11 |
|
12 |
Rogers State |
227 |
40-10 |
12 |
|
13 |
Northwest Nazarene |
205 |
37-8 |
14 |
|
14 |
Western Washington |
194 |
39-7 |
13 |
|
15 |
East Stroudsburg |
178 |
41-13 |
15 |
|
16 |
AUM |
167 |
36-11 |
16 |
|
17 |
Concordia |
110 |
36-12 |
17 |
|
17 |
Wilmington |
110 |
37-13 |
19 |
|
19 |
Rollins |
107 |
35-11 |
20 |
|
20 |
Francis Marion |
100 |
45-11 |
21 |
|
21 |
Angelo State |
73 |
37-15 |
22 |
|
22 |
Trevecca Nazarene |
63 |
41-11 |
RV |
|
23 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
57 |
43-14 |
23 |
|
24 |
Colorado Mesa |
44 |
43-7 |
25 |
|
25 |
Grand Valley State |
40 |
33-14 |
18 |
New to Poll: N/A
Dropped Out: N/A
Receiving Votes: Oklahoma Baptist (16), Nova Southeastern (7), Adelphi (3), UAH (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 28.
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