LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Unbeaten Virginia Wesleyan was the unanimous choice to take over the top spot in the NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll, the Association announced on Tuesday.

The (8-0) Marlins, who were the national runner-up to Trine last season, replace the Thunder in the No. 1 position, following Trine’s loss in the NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic presented by MaxBP over the weekend in Columbus, Ga.

Virginia Wesleyan logged six wins last week, including a sweep of then-No. 9 Christopher Newport by a 22-2 margin, and four victories at the Triangle Collegiate Softball Classic in Raleigh, N.C.

Reigning national champion Trine (11-1) slips to No. 2 following a 5-1 run at the Leadoff, that included a 6-4 loss on Saturday to eventual Leadoff titlist Berry (12-2). The defeat ended the Thunder’s 22-game win streak, with their last loss coming last May in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament, 8-7 to Adrian, a team Trine beat twice handily after that to win the conference tournament, and twice easily in the 2025 regular season.

Texas Lutheran (12-1) kept winning and gained two places to No. 3, while Saint Mary’s (14-2) stayed fourth in the poll after going 4-2 at the Leadoff, including a ranked victory over Emory.

Berry was the biggest mover of the week — 18 places — going from 23rd in the rankings last week all the way to No. 5 after winning five straight games at the Leadoff. The Vikings lost their tournament opener, 9-6, to new No. 21 DePauw, but defeated Trine and shut out both then-No. 8 East Texas Baptist, 3-0, and Denison, 8-0, and rolled past Spalding, 12-2, and Bethel, 13-3, in five innings apiece, to close out a stellar performance at the showcase event.

WashU, at No. 6, also made a climb up the rankings — 12 spots — after running its perfect record to 10-0. East Texas Baptist (12-2) is the new No. 7 and Linfield (6-2) goes to eighth, while Huntingdon (13-2) moved up to ninth after dealing Saint Mary’s one of its two losses at the Leadoff.

Last year’s Leadoff champion, Redlands (11-4), stayed home in California and was 6-1 this past week to round out the revised top 10 teams.

Elsewhere, Tufts opened its season 5-1 at the Triangle Classic to enter in the No. 18 position, while DePauw (4-2) took down three ranked teams at the Leadoff to jump into the poll for the first time this season at No. 21. The Tigers defeated Berry, Saint Mary’s and Emory while in Georgia.

Eastern is the other newcomer to the rankings, coming in at No. 25 following a 7-1 start.

The NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll is selected by 10 NCAA Division III head coaches representing the 10 NCAA regions. Current 2026 records are listed, with first-place votes in parentheses.

NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll – March 10, 2026

Others receiving votes: None.

Dropped out: Salisbury, Williams, Wisconsin-Stevens Point

2026 NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee

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