LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Christopher Newport heads into the NCAA tournament as the top team in the NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll, and the No. 1 squad in the nation for an eighth-straight week.
The (37-1) Captains defeated Salisbury (36-6) in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference championship series and will host Hunter on Friday in their NCAA Regional opener at Captains Park.
Meanwhile, the two losses to Christopher Newport knocked the Sea Gulls down two places to fourth. Salisbury has lost only four times in its last 27 games — all four to the top-ranked Captains.
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference titlist Texas Lutheran (38-4) and Little East champion Eastern Connecticut State (37-4) both leapfrogged Salisbury to second and third, respectively. Eastern Connecticut outscored its conference tournament opponents over the weekend 21-0.
First-time American Southwest Conference champion Belhaven (38-6) stayed put at No. 5, while Northwest Conference winner Linfield (36-7) and ASC runner-up East Texas Baptist (32-10) moved ahead of DePauw (34-9), which lost twice in the North Coast Athletic Conference tourney.
Old Dominion Athletic Conference titlist Virginia Wesleyan (33-11) and Southern Athletic Association winner Berry (29-11) round out the top 10.
No. 24 Ohio Northern (24-9) is the poll newcomer, fresh off its second-straight Ohio Athletic Conference tournament title, while Wartburg (27-12) is back in consideration at a tie for 25th with Case Western Reserve after an one-week absence.
There will be one final ranking on June 7, after the NCAA tournament has been completed.
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 10, 2022
|
Rank |
Team |
Points |
2022 Record |
Previous |
|
1 |
Christopher Newport (10) |
250 |
37-1 |
1 |
|
2 |
Texas Lutheran |
240 |
38-4 |
3 |
|
3 |
Eastern Connecticut State |
230 |
37-4 |
4 |
|
4 |
Salisbury |
220 |
36-6 |
2 |
|
5 |
Belhaven |
210 |
38-6 |
5 |
|
6 |
Linfield |
200 |
36-7 |
7 |
|
7 |
East Texas Baptist |
190 |
32-10 |
8 |
|
8 |
DePauw |
180 |
34-9 |
6 |
|
9 |
Virginia Wesleyan |
170 |
33-11 |
11 |
|
10 |
Berry |
160 |
29-11 |
10 |
|
11 |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
150 |
32-11 |
9 |
|
12 |
Bethel |
140 |
33-4 |
12 |
|
13 |
Roanoke |
130 |
30-12 |
15 |
|
14 |
Piedmont |
120 |
31-9 |
16 |
|
15 |
Birmingham-Southern |
110 |
32-8 |
13 |
|
16 |
Randolph-Macon |
100 |
32-9 |
14 |
|
17 |
Rowan |
90 |
33-8 |
19 |
|
18 |
Concordia (Wis.) |
80 |
34-4 |
20 |
|
19 |
Geneseo |
70 |
34-4 |
21 |
|
20 |
Trine |
60 |
27-11 |
23 |
|
21 |
Susquehanna |
50 |
27-7 |
24 |
|
22 |
Amherst |
30 |
24-7 |
T25 |
|
23 |
Babson |
18 |
35-8 |
17 |
|
24 |
Ohio Northern |
17 |
24-9 |
NR |
|
T25 |
Case Western Reserve |
14 |
26-9 |
T25 |
|
T25 |
Wartburg |
14 |
27-12 |
NR |
Others receiving votes: Rochester 4, Illinois Wesleyan 2, WashU 2, and Buena Vista 1.
Dropped out: Dubuque, Kean, Millikin, Tufts, Wisconsin-La Crosse and Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
2022 NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee
The NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded coaches polls and All-America awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to awards, to in-person events and National Convention.
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