LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The top five teams remained unchanged in this week’s NFCA DII Top 25 Coaches Poll. For the fourth straight week, Augustana earned the No. 1 ranking capturing 12 first-place votes and 392 points. Also earning first-place nods were red-hot No. 2 Valdosta State (3) and No. 4 North Georgia (1).
Additionally, Biola (19-13) makes its first appearance in the NFCA’s DII poll at No. 24 and Northwest Nazarene returned to the rankings, tying for No. 25. Also, two programs – Oklahoma Christian and Auburn Montgomery - made significant leaps to No. 6 & No. 11, respectively
The Vikings (32-4) posted a 5-1 week in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. They split a pair of one-run affairs in a road twinbill against crosstown rivals Sioux Falls before returning home to sweep Minnesota State Moorhead and Northern State.
The second-ranked Blazers (32-3) enter this week on a 21-game win streak, the longest active in Division II, after they cruised to three Gulf South Conference (GSC) wins against Christian Brothers. VSU outscored the Bucs 39-4, launching 11 more home runs to improve on their NCAA DII-leading 87 long balls. The Blazers wrap up the regular season with a key GSC series at No. 18 University of Alabama in Huntsville.
No. 3 UT Tyler reached the 30-win plateau after four Lone Star Conference (LSC) victories. The Patriots (31-5) topped St. Mary’s and Cameron bringing their current win streak to 10 games. The fourth-ranked NightHawks (33-5) enjoyed an 8-0 week with four doubleheader sweeps, three in Peach Belt Conference action.
No. 5 Indianapolis had its 25-game win streak halted after a split on the road at Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) foe Drury. The Greyhounds (34-4) rebounded from their first loss since March 17 with a sweep of Missouri S&T.
The sixth-ranked Eagles (33-5) catapulted four spots after a pair of key one-run LSC victories over then-No. 6 Texas A&M University-Commerce. With the two defeats, the Lions (25-12) dipped to No. 9. A&M-Commerce will host third-ranked UT Tyler on May 1.
Lincoln Memorial remained in the seventh spot. The Railsplitters (36-6), upset in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament championship game by Tusculum, finished the weekend 2-1.
Young Harris went 3-1 last week in Peach Belt Conference action and moved into the No. 8 spot, while West Texas A&M returned to the top 10 at No. 10 following four LSC wins.
The 11th-ranked Warhawks (32-5) pushed their win streak to 12 games, following three close triumphs in GSC play against Montevallo.
Seven of No. 24 Biola’s wins are against PacWest Conference foe, No. 12 Concordia Irvine (22-11), and one more over NCAA Division I San Diego.
The 2021 NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the eight NCAA regions. Records reflect games played through April 25. In 2021, universities that are not competing will not be eligible for the poll.
2021 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll
April 28 (Week 11)
|
Rank |
School |
Points |
2021 Record |
Last Poll |
|
1 |
Augustana (12) |
392 |
32-4 |
1 |
|
2 |
Valdosta State (3) |
387 |
32-3 |
2 |
|
3 |
UT Tyler |
366 |
31-5 |
3 |
|
4 |
North Georgia (1) |
356 |
33-5 |
4 |
|
5 |
Indianapolis |
332 |
34-3 |
5 |
|
6 |
Oklahoma Christian |
316 |
33-5 |
10 |
|
7 |
Lincoln Memorial |
306 |
36-6 |
7 |
|
8 |
Young Harris |
271 |
29-8 |
9 |
|
9 |
Texas A&M-Commerce |
264 |
25-12 |
6 |
|
10 |
West Texas A&M |
238 |
30-10 |
12 |
|
11 |
Auburn Montgomery |
235 |
32-5 |
19 |
|
12 |
Concordia Irvine |
202 |
22-11 |
11 |
|
13 |
Central Oklahoma |
197 |
29-9 |
16 |
|
14 |
Grand Valley State |
191 |
31-7 |
14 |
|
15 |
Rollins |
178 |
16-2 |
8 |
|
16 |
Colorado Mesa |
173 |
30-2 |
17 |
|
17 |
Minnesota State |
152 |
28-7 |
18 |
|
18 |
UAH |
141 |
27-10 |
13 |
|
19 |
Saint Anselm |
136 |
20-4 |
15 |
|
20 |
Winona State |
97 |
28-7 |
20 |
|
21 |
Southern Arkansas |
68 |
20-7 |
21 |
|
22 |
West Florida |
50 |
27-12 |
22 |
|
23 |
Angelo State |
44 |
29-11 |
23 |
|
24 |
Biola |
38 |
19-13 |
RV |
|
t25 |
Northwest Nazarene |
18 |
24-9 |
RV |
|
t25 |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
18 |
24-11 |
24 |
New to Poll: No. 24 Biola, t-No.25 Northwest Nazarene.
Dropped Out: No. 25 Charleston
Receiving Votes: Kutztown (14), Southeastern Oklahoma State (7), Georgian Court (6), Shepherd (5), Central Missouri (1), Tampa (1).
The 2021 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the NCAA’s eight regions. Records reflect games played through April 25.
