LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Reigning national champion East Texas Baptist suffered a top-10 loss, but won its other three games to remain the unanimous No. 1 team in the NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll for a fifth straight week dating back to last season.
The (18-2) Tigers lost 6-1 at then-No. 6 Virginia Wesleyan on Thursday, but scored victories over George Fox, then-No. 16 Pfeiffer and then-No. 7 Christopher Newport to complete a solid 3-1 trip to the Cross Bay Bash co-hosted by Virginia Wesleyan and Christopher Newport.
No. 2 Linfield (11-1) won twice more to stay right on East Texas Baptist’s heels, while Christopher Newport (17-1) — whose only loss is to the top-ranked Tigers — is the new No. 3 team, ahead of still-unbeaten Rowan (14-0), who remained fourth.
Virginia Wesleyan (13-1) swapped places with idle Wisconsin-Oshkosh, while NFCA Leadoff champion Redlands (16-3) gained two more spots this week, ahead of new No. 8 Case Western Reserve (9-5), which it swept in a doubleheader last Wednesday. Texas Lutheran (18-1) and Huntingdon (17-2) round out the first 10 teams.
Elsewhere, Emory (14-2) extended its win streak to seven with a 6-0 week to move into a tie with Tufts for the No. 23 position. The (4-6) Jumbos showed signs of righting themselves after uncharacteristically slow start, with All-American Sophia DiCocco tossing a one-hitter in an 8-0, five-inning win on Sunday at No. 13 Salisbury.
WashU (13-4) is tied with Calvin for the 25th spot, following another strong week. The Bears have four top-25 triumphs in their first 17 games to break into the rankings for the first time this season.
Unbeaten Lewis & Clark (12-0) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (9-3), which split with Case Western Reserve two Sundays ago when the Spartans were ranked second nationally, both received votes for the first time this season this week.
The NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll is selected by 10 NCAA Division III head coaches representing the 10 NCAA regions. Current 2025 records are listed, with first-place votes in parentheses.
NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll – March 18, 2025
|
Rank |
Team |
Points |
2025 Record |
Previous |
|
1 |
East Texas Baptist (10) |
250 |
18-2 |
1 |
|
2 |
Linfield |
240 |
11-1 |
2 |
|
3 |
Christopher Newport |
230 |
17-1 |
7 |
|
4 |
Rowan |
220 |
14-0 |
4 |
|
5 |
Virginia Wesleyan |
210 |
13-1 |
6 |
|
6 |
Wisconsin-Oshkosh |
200 |
8-0 |
5 |
|
7 |
Redlands |
190 |
16-3 |
9 |
|
8 |
Case Western Reserve |
180 |
9-5 |
3 |
|
9 |
Texas Lutheran |
170 |
18-1 |
8 |
|
10 |
Huntingdon |
160 |
17-2 |
10 |
|
11 |
Trine |
150 |
10-4 |
11 |
|
12 |
Williams |
140 |
3-1 |
12 |
|
13 |
Salisbury |
130 |
11-2 |
13 |
|
14 |
Belhaven |
120 |
13-5 |
14 |
|
15 |
Central |
110 |
6-2 |
15 |
|
16 |
Wisconsin-Stevens Point |
84 |
13-1 |
19 |
|
17 |
Randolph-Macon |
76 |
14-2 |
23 |
|
18 |
Wisconsin-Whitewater |
73 |
4-0 |
21 |
|
19 |
Berry |
59 |
13-5 |
17 |
|
20 |
Moravian |
48 |
7-3 |
22 |
|
21 |
Gettysburg |
44 |
12-3 |
24 |
|
22 |
Pfeiffer |
42 |
12-7 |
16 |
|
T23 |
Emory |
27 |
14-2 |
RV |
|
T23 |
Tufts |
27 |
4-6 |
20 |
|
T25 |
Calvin |
17 |
9-5 |
18 |
|
T25 |
WashU |
17 |
13-4 |
NR |
Others receiving votes: Saint Mary’s (Minn.) 15, DePauw 6, Lewis & Clark 2 and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 2.
Dropped out: Muskingum, Rochester and St. John Fisher.
2025 NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee
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