LOUISVILLE, Ky. —Christopher Newport continues to top the NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll.
The (35-1) Captains, idle since an April 24 sweep of Meredith, have a bye into Friday’s Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference championship, which starts Thursday at Captains Park. No. 2 ranked and seeded Salisbury (34-4) plays conference third seed Mary Washington for the right to face Christopher Newport, which swept both teams in the regular season.
Salisbury tuned up for the tournament with a sweep of Washington (Md.) last Thursday.
Meanwhile, Texas Lutheran (38-4) stayed third in the unchanged top eight after winning its eighth straight Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship. No. 7 Linfield (36-7), 10th-ranked Berry (29-11) and No. 11 Virginia Wesleyan (33-11), the defending national champion, captured their tournament crowns as well.
Trine (24-11), Susquehanna (25-7), Amherst (21-7) and Case Western Reserve (26-9) all made a move into the Top 25 with continued strong play. No. 23 Trine and No. 25 (tie) Amherst weren’t previously ranked, but have gone a combined 17-2 over their last 19 games. No. 24 Susquehanna and No. 25 (tie) Case Western Reserve both received votes last week and have each won their last seven.
The NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll is selected by 10 NCAA Division III head coaches representing the 10 NCAA regions. Current 2022 records are listed, with first-place votes in parentheses.
NFCA Division III Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll – May 3, 2022
|
Rank |
Team |
Points |
2022 Record |
Previous |
|
1 |
Christopher Newport (10) |
250 |
35-1 |
1 |
|
2 |
Salisbury |
240 |
34-4 |
2 |
|
3 |
Texas Lutheran |
230 |
38-4 |
3 |
|
4 |
Eastern Connecticut State |
220 |
34-4 |
4 |
|
5 |
Belhaven |
210 |
34-5 |
5 |
|
6 |
DePauw |
200 |
31-7 |
6 |
|
7 |
Linfield |
190 |
36-7 |
7 |
|
8 |
East Texas Baptist |
180 |
30-8 |
8 |
|
9 |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
170 |
31-9 |
10 |
|
10 |
Berry |
160 |
29-11 |
12 |
|
11 |
Virginia Wesleyan |
150 |
33-11 |
14 |
|
12 |
Bethel |
140 |
30-3 |
11 |
|
13 |
Birmingham-Southern |
130 |
32-8 |
9 |
|
14 |
Randolph-Macon |
120 |
32-9 |
13 |
|
15 |
Roanoke |
110 |
30-12 |
17 |
|
16 |
Piedmont |
100 |
29-9 |
20 |
|
17 |
Babson |
90 |
34-6 |
18 |
|
18 |
Wisconsin-Oshkosh |
80 |
24-8 |
19 |
|
19 |
Rowan |
70 |
30-8 |
21 |
|
20 |
Concordia (Wis.) |
60 |
32-4 |
15 |
|
21 |
Geneseo |
50 |
30-4 |
22 |
|
22 |
Millikin |
40 |
31-5 |
23 |
|
23 |
Trine |
15 |
24-11 |
NR |
|
24 |
Susquehanna |
13 |
25-7 |
RV |
|
T25 |
Amherst |
8 |
21-7 |
NR |
|
T25 |
Case Western Reserve |
8 |
26-9 |
RV |
Others receiving votes: Wisconsin-La Crosse 5, Ohio Northern 3, Tufts 3, Dubuque 2, Buena Vista 1, Kean 1, and Rochester 1.
Dropped out: Alma, Aurora, Lynchburg, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Mount St. Joseph, Pfeiffer, Saint Benedict (Minn.) and Wartburg.
2022 NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee
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