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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Defending national champion UT Tyler is the unanimous preseason favorite in the 2025 NFCA/GoRout Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll.

The Patriots, in just their third season of NCAA Division II membership, posted a 58-8 record and enjoyed an unbeaten run on their way to the program’s second NCAA title and first in Division II. UT Tyler entered the Division II World Series as the No. 2 overall seed and knocked off Augustana, Western Washington and Lenoir-Rhyne to reach its first Championship Series, where the Patriots (58-8) went on to defeat Western Washington 3-0 and 10-1. In its first three DII seasons, UT Tyler, under the direction of Mike Reed, has reached the NCAA Championship each season, reaching the semifinals in 2022 and 2023.

National runner-up Western Washington (52-12) opens the season at No. 2. Steered by head coach Sheryl Gilmore, the first-time national championship participants smashed their program’s win record as no prior Viking team had reached the 40-victory mark. They picked up four wins at the finals site, including three elimination games.

National semifinalists Indianapolis and Lenoir-Rhyne start the year at No. 3 and No. 4. The Greyhounds (60-7) registered a 7-3 postseason mark and became the first team in program history to win 60 games. The Bears (52-18) came out of the Southeast Region as the No. 3 seed to earn their first trip to the national championship. As the tournament’s No. 8 seed, they went 2-2 against the top four seeds at the tournament.

NCAA Championship participants – Wilmington, Auburn Montgomery and Augustana – make up the No. 5 through 7 rankings with No. 8 North Georgia, No. 9 Rogers State and No. 10 Tampa rounding out the top 10. The NightHawks (52-13) were knocked off in the Super Regionals by Lenoir-Rhyne, while the Hillcats (46-12) and Spartans (43-11) were Regional finalists. UNG also enters the 2025 season under new head coach Brooke O’Hair, who took over for longtime North Georgia skipper Mike Davenport, after her successful 18-year run leading Mississippi College.

The Lone Star Conference - No. 1 UT Tyler, No. 11 Angelo State, No. 13 West Texas A&M and No. 24 Oklahoma Christian - led the way with four teams in the rankings. The Gulf South Conference followed with three programs – No. 6 AUM, No. 12 Mississippi College and league newcomer No. 17 Trevecca Nazarene.

Five other leagues – California Collegiate Athletic Association (No. 15 Cal State Dominguez Hills, No. 23 Cal State Dominguez Hills), Great Lakes Valley Conference (No. 3 UIndy, No. 22 Lewis), Great Northwest Athletic Conference (No. 2 Western Washington, No. 18 Northwest Nazarene), Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (No. 9 Rogers State, No. 25 Central Oklahoma) and South Atlantic Conference (No. 4 Lenoir-Rhyne, No. 19 Wingate) – were represented by two programs apiece.

Lewis, which comes in at No. 22, cracks the rankings for the first time since 2011 (March 2).

The NCAA Division II softball season opens up on Friday, Jan. 31 and that weekend features several Top 25 matchups, including a top-10 clash between No. 6 AUM and No. 9 Rogers State at the Gulf Shores Invitational (Gulf Shore, Ala.). The Warhawks also face No. 25 Central Oklahoma. Other matchups include - No. 1 UT Tyler vs. No. 21 Colorado Mesa (DII First Pitch Invitational); No. 2 Western Washington vs. No. 15 Cal State Dominguez Hills (CUI Kickoff Classic); No. 3 UIndy vs. No. 17 Trevecca Nazarene (Music City Invitational); No. 4 Lenoir-Rhyne vs. No. 24 Oklahoma Christian/No. 25 Central Oklahoma (Gulf Shores Invitational); No. 7 Augustana vs. No. 12 Mississippi College (Mardi Gras Invitational); No. 11 Angelo State vs. No. 21 Colorado Mesa (DII First Pitch Invitational); No. 18 Northwest Nazarene vs. No. 23 Cal State San Marcos (CUI Kickoff Classic).

The 2025 NFCA/GoRout 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. The first poll of the regular season will be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 11 and every Tuesday at noon ET throughout the regular season.

 

2025 NFCA/GoRout Division II Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll

1/21/25 (Preseason)

Rank

School

Points

Record

1

UT Tyler (16)

400

0-0

2

Western Washington

384

0-0

3

Indianapolis

362

0-0

4

Lenoir-Rhyne

356

0-0

5

Wilmington

325

0-0

6

AUM

317

0-0

7

Augustana

310

0-0

8

North Georgia

273

0-0

9

Rogers State

256

0-0

10

Tampa

255

0-0

11

Angelo State

227

0-0

12

Mississippi College

213

0-0

13

West Texas A&M

192

0-0

14

Francis Marion

187

0-0

15

Cal State Dominguez Hills

182

0-0

16

East Stroudsburg

159

0-0

17

Trevecca Nazarene

142

0-0

18

Northwest Nazarene

123

0-0

19

Wingate

106

0-0

20

Southern Nazarene

86

0-0

21

Colorado Mesa

84

0-0

22

Lewis

49

0-0

23

Cal State San Marcos

47

0-0

24

Oklahoma Christian

46

0-0

25

Central Oklahoma

30

0-0

Receiving Votes: Nova Southeastern (27), Pittsburg State (24), Kutztown (21), Grand Valley State (10), Pace (7).

The 2025 NFCA/Go Rout 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.

NFCA D2 Top 25 Poll Committee

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