LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As conference tournament play ramps up, Angelo State remains the unanimous No. program in this week’s NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. The top four rankings stood pat and were joined by new No. 5 West Texas A&M this week.
The Rambelles (51-4) and Lady Buffs (40-9) are the top two seeds in this week’s single-elimination Lone Star Conference (LSC) Tournament with possibility of a top-five clash in the championship game. LSC regular season champion Angelo State, which has won 16 straight, capped off its regular season with two LSC road wins at Cameron (6-5, 10-3), while WT also won on the road, sweeping a three-game LSC set from Eastern New Mexico (15-1, 7-2, 9-1).
Remaining at No. 2, Harding heads into Great American Conference (GAC) tournament as the top seed and regular season champs. Following a 5-1 week, the Bison (50-6) became just the second GAC program to reach the 50-win plateau, the first to do it during the regular season.
No. 3 North Georgia was idle last week after winning its fourth straight Peach Belt Conference tournament title. Cal State Monterey Bay wrapped its regular season, splitting with then-No. 9 Humboldt State in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action. The Otters (42-9) claimed the CCAA regular season title and will be the top-seed at the 2017 CCAA tournament in Stockton, Calif.
Southern Indiana dropped a spot to No. 6 after splitting a Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) twinbill with Quincy. The Eagles (40-10) earned a share of the GLVC regular season title and will be the top seed at this week’s tournament in East Peoria, Ill.
West Virginia Wesleyan is riding a 15 game-winning streak and moved up one position to No. 7. The Bobcats (40-6) are the Mount East Conference (MEC) regular season champs and will be the top seed at the MEC Tournament in Salem, Va. WVWC capped off its regular season with a pair of doubleheader sweeps of Glenville State and Concord.
Pfeiffer dipped two spots to No. 8 after putting in a runner-up performance at the Conference Carolinas Tournament. The Falcons (44-6) battled back from the loser’s bracket to reach the title game, but fell to North Greenville, 4-0.
Minnesota State owns the longest active winning streak in Division II at 20 games after they reeled off six more wins to close out the regular season. The Mavericks (50-6) clinched the regular season Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) regular season title on the final day of the season with a twinbill sweep of Minot State (10-0, 11-5). It marks the first 50-win season for Minnesota State since 2011.
New to the top-10 this week is No. 10 West Florida. The Argos (39-12) swept Lee in their final Gulf South Conference (GSC) series and locked up the No. 2 seed for the GSC tournament in Huntsville, Ala.
Regular season Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAA) champions Central Oklahoma made the biggest climb this week, moving up five spots to No. 16 after sweeping through the MIAA tournament to claim their first title since joining the league in 2013.
NE-10 Southwest Division champion Adelphi jumped into the No. 25 spot, while previous-No. 23 New Haven fell out of the top-25.
The 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 Sunday, April 30.
2017 NFCA Division II Softball Coaches Poll
Week 12 | May 3, 2017
Rank | Team (First place votes) | Points | 2017 Record | Last Week |
1 | Angelo State (16) | 400 | 51-4 | 1 |
2 | Harding | 384 | 50-6 | 2 |
3 | North Georgia | 367 | 44-10 | 3 |
4 | Cal State Monterey Bay | 346 | 42-9 | 4 |
5 | West Texas A&M | 320 | 40-9 | 7 |
6 | Southern Indiana | 311 | 40-10 | 5 |
7 | West Virginia Wesleyan | 299 | 40-6 | 8 |
8 | Pfeiffer | 289 | 44-6 | 6 |
9 | Minnesota State | 283 | 50-6 | 10 |
10 | West Florida | 244 | 39-12 | 12 |
11 | Humboldt State | 237 | 34-12 | 9 |
12 | Colorado Mesa | 233 | 42-6 | 11 |
13 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 187 | 46-11 | 13 |
14 | Saint Leo | 182 | 37-13 | 14 |
15 | Caldwell | 169 | 40-13 | 16 |
16 | Central Oklahoma | 150 | 47-9 | 21 |
17 | California Baptist | 139 | 36-11 | 17 |
18 | UAH | 132 | 39-14 | 18 |
19 | St. Mary's | 118 | 40-12 | 19 |
20 | West Chester | 102 | 40-10 | 20 |
21 | Southern Arkansas | 88 | 42-14 | 14 |
22 | Wayne State (Mich.) | 77 | 36-12 | 25 |
23 | Dixie State | 50 | 39-12 | 24 |
24 | Saginaw Valley State | 27 | 31-14 | 22 |
25 | Adelphi | 23 | 33-13-1 | RV |
Dropped Out: No. 23 New Haven
New to Poll: No. 25 Adelphi
Receiving Votes: Valdosta State (13), Armstrong State (10), Carson-Newman (9), Winona State (4), North Alabama (3), New Haven (2), Mississippi College (1), Kutztown (1).
The 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 Sunday, April 30.