LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Despite a ranked loss in its final game of the NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic, reigning national champion Trine remains the unanimous choice as the top-ranked team for the first NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll of the 2024 regular season.
The (4-1) Thunder won their first four games by an average of 8.25 runs, including a 4-2 victory over then-No. 12 Belhaven, before falling 4-3 to then-No. 8 Christopher Newport on Sunday afternoon.
2023 NCAA runner-up Salisbury (5-0) remains ranked second after a home sweep of then-No. 5 Rowan on Friday, while 2024 Leadoff champion Linfield (4-0) moves up to third in the top 25 after run-ruling two of the three ranked teams it faced across four games in Georgia.
Leadoff runner-up East Texas Baptist (8-1) was the only other unbeaten team at that tournament, scoring three ranked victories among its four wins there to make the biggest move of the week — 12 spots — from 16th in last month’s preseason ranking to fourth.
Christopher Newport’s win over the No. 1 team in the nation allowed the (7-1) Captains to gain three spots to fifth in the rankings this week.
Thirteen of the 22 teams who played in this past weekend’s Leadoff Classic are currently ranked in the top 25, with seven of those squads in the top 10. No. 6 Berry (14-2), eighth-ranked Case Western Reserve (4-1) and No. 9 Transylvania (7-1) are the other Leadoff schools in the first 10 positions.
Yet another Leadoff participant, Concordia (4-4), dropped from being ranked 23rd in the preseason poll to receiving votes this week after suffering losses to three teams ahead of them in the top 25.
No. 20 Pfeiffer (10-0), No. 22 Redlands (9-2), No. 23 Millikin (5-1) and Leadoff participant Chapman (7-4) at No. 25, are the four newcomers to the rankings.
The NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll is selected by 10 NCAA Division III head coaches representing the 10 NCAA regions. Current records are listed, with first-place votes in parentheses.
NFCA Division III Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll
March 5, 2024
|
Rank |
Team |
Points |
2024 Record |
Previous |
|
1 |
Trine (10) |
250 |
4-1 |
1 |
|
2 |
Salisbury |
240 |
5-0 |
2 |
|
3 |
Linfield |
230 |
4-0 |
7 |
|
4 |
East Texas Baptist |
220 |
8-1 |
16 |
|
5 |
Christopher Newport |
210 |
7-1 |
8 |
|
6 |
Berry |
200 |
14-2 |
3 |
|
7 |
Rowan |
190 |
2-2 |
5 |
|
8 |
Case Western Reserve |
180 |
4-1 |
13 |
|
9 |
Transylvania |
170 |
7-1 |
20 |
|
10 |
Randolph-Macon |
160 |
2-0 |
10 |
|
11 |
Bethel |
150 |
3-1 |
11 |
|
12 |
Belhaven |
140 |
10-3 |
12 |
|
13 |
Virginia Wesleyan |
130 |
5-3 |
9 |
|
14 |
Tufts |
120 |
0-0 |
14 |
|
15 |
Texas Lutheran |
110 |
6-0 |
15 |
|
16 |
Moravian |
92 |
2-3 |
6 |
|
17 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
90 |
0-0 |
17 |
|
18 |
Coe |
79 |
4-2 |
4 |
|
19 |
Lebanon Valley |
70 |
4-0 |
19 |
|
20 |
Pfeiffer |
58 |
10-0 |
NR |
|
21 |
Redlands |
39 |
9-2 |
NR |
|
22 |
Millikin |
25 |
5-1 |
NR |
|
23 |
Central (Iowa) |
22 |
3-4 |
21 |
|
24 |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
20 |
0-0 |
24 |
|
25 |
Chapman |
19 |
7-4 |
NR |
Others receiving votes: The College of New Jersey 17, Rochester 16, Concordia (Wis.) 3.
2024 NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee
The NFCA 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.
Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining our lineup of over 7,000 coaches today!
