LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Salisbury won four more games to keep rolling and atop the NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll for a fourth straight week.
The (22-2) Sea Gulls swept doubleheaders from Washington College and Mary Washington to remain the unanimous choice of voters at the No. 1 spot. Salisbury has a twinbill at Stevenson up next on Wednesday.
Reigning national champion and second-ranked Christopher Newport (13-3) has two doubleheaders this week after being idle since last Sunday’s sweep of Meredith. Meanwhile, No. 3 Trine (16-2) and fourth-ranked Texas Lutheran (24-3) might need a break after scoring 98 runs combined in 11 games.
Trine outscored its four opponents 49-4 and have won six straight, while the Bulldogs didn’t allow a single run in a 7-0 week to give them 20 wins in their last 21 games.
Only Linfield (23-3) had a loss among the next four in an unchanged first eight, while Tufts (16-1), which didn’t start its season until March 18, has been red-hot since that long-awaited first pitch and swapped places with Randolph-Macon (17-5) this week. The Jumbos’ lone hiccup thus far has been a one-run loss to Wisconsin-Whitewater on March 25 during a stretch of 13 games in eight days.
No. 13 Birmingham-Southern (22-5) gained five more places this week, and will play in a battle of ranked teams with 11-game win streaks when it travels to No. 5 Berry (25-4) for a three-game Southern Athletic Association series on Friday and Saturday.
Saint Benedict (9-1) is hoping to finally get back on the field for a home doubleheader against St. Olaf on Friday. The 14th-ranked Bennies have had their last 12 games either postponed or cancelled, and haven’t played since a 5-2 victory over Belhaven on March 11 in Kissimmee, Fla.
Elsewhere, Wisconsin-Oshkosh (19-1) looms large at No. 20. A 4-2, nine-inning loss to current No. 9 Tufts remains the lone blemish on the Titans’ 2023 record. Four American Rivers Conference teams — No. 17 Central (19-3), No. 21 Coe (17-3), 24th-ranked Luther (19-3) and RV Simpson (16-4) — could also have a major impact on the rankings going forward.
The NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll is selected by 10 NCAA Division III head coaches representing the 10 NCAA regions. Current 2023 records are listed, with first-place votes in parentheses. Weekly polls continue through May 16. A final poll will be released on June 13 following completion of the national championship.
NFCA Division III Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll
|
Rank |
Team |
Points |
2023 Record |
Previous |
|
1 |
Salisbury (10) |
250 |
26-2 |
1 |
|
2 |
Christopher Newport |
240 |
13-3 |
2 |
|
3 |
Trine |
230 |
16-2 |
3 |
|
4 |
Texas Lutheran |
220 |
24-3 |
4 |
|
5 |
Berry |
210 |
25-4 |
5 |
|
6 |
Virginia Wesleyan |
200 |
21-5 |
6 |
|
7 |
Linfield |
190 |
23-3 |
7 |
|
8 |
Case Western Reserve |
180 |
19-2 |
8 |
|
9 |
Tufts |
170 |
16-1 |
10 |
|
10 |
Randolph-Macon |
160 |
17-5 |
9 |
|
11 |
Bethel |
150 |
11-3 |
11 |
|
12 |
East Texas Baptist |
140 |
21-4 |
12 |
|
13 |
Birmingham-Southern |
130 |
22-5 |
18 |
|
14 |
Saint Benedict (Minn.) |
120 |
9-1 |
14 |
|
15 |
Rowan |
110 |
19-3 |
15 |
|
16 |
Transylvania |
100 |
16-7 |
17 |
|
17 |
Central (Iowa) |
90 |
19-3 |
19 |
|
18 |
Concordia (Wis.) |
80 |
14-3 |
20 |
|
19 |
Hardin-Simmons |
70 |
22-3 |
21 |
|
20 |
Wisconsin-Oshkosh |
60 |
19-1 |
22 |
|
21 |
Coe |
50 |
17-3 |
23 |
|
22 |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
26 |
16-9 |
24 |
|
23 |
Pfeiffer |
24 |
19-9 |
13 |
|
24 |
Luther |
21 |
19-3 |
RV |
|
25 |
Piedmont |
12 |
21-6 |
RV |
Others receiving votes: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 8, Rochester 8 and Simpson 1.
Dropped out: Amherst, Belhaven, Brandeis, Emory, Huntingdon, Lynchburg, Pacific Lutheran and Ramapo.
2023 NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee
Celebrating 40 years in 2023, 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 6,700 coaches today!
