LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The top three in the NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll remained unchanged for a fifth week, as the only losses for the trio were Salisbury’s two to No. 1 Christopher Newport.
In that twinbill last Wednesday, the top-ranked Captains (35-1) rallied to win the first game against No. 2 Salisbury, 4-2, on a three-run, walk-off homer by Brooke Greaver. They then hit three more homers to take game two, 10-6. Christopher Newport finished its week with a sweep of Meredith on Sunday.
The (32-4) Sea Gulls, who had their 17-game victory streak snapped against the Captains, rebounded on Sunday to sweep Stevenson, while No. 3 Texas Lutheran (35-4) took three games from Trinity over the weekend to extend its win streak to 18.
Eastern Connecticut State (28-4) kept winning to move into the No. 4 spot, while Belhaven (31-5) did likewise to rejoin the top five, ahead of DePauw (26-6), Linfield (36-7) and last week’s No. 4, East Texas Baptist (27-8).
Elsewhere, No. 18 Babson (28-6) gained six places after collecting its 12th-straight triumph, and Piedmont (26-9), Geneseo (25-3), Lynchburg (23-17) and Pfeiffer (32-8) all moved into the Top 25.
No. 20 Piedmont and 22nd-ranked Geneseo had been receiving votes, while Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament top seed Lynchburg is making its 2022 poll debut at No. 24. Pfeiffer is back in the voting mix after dropping out last week.
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 – April 26, 2022
|
Rank |
Team |
Points |
2022 Record |
Previous |
|
1 |
Christopher Newport (10) |
250 |
35-1 |
1 |
|
2 |
Salisbury |
240 |
32-4 |
2 |
|
3 |
Texas Lutheran |
230 |
35-4 |
3 |
|
4 |
Eastern Connecticut State |
220 |
28-4 |
5 |
|
5 |
Belhaven |
210 |
31-5 |
6 |
|
6 |
DePauw |
200 |
26-6 |
7 |
|
7 |
Linfield |
190 |
36-7 |
8 |
|
8 |
East Texas Baptist |
180 |
27-8 |
4 |
|
9 |
Birmingham-Southern |
170 |
32-6 |
9 |
|
10 |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
160 |
28-9 |
12 |
|
11 |
Bethel |
150 |
25-2 |
14 |
|
12 |
Berry |
140 |
27-11 |
13 |
|
13 |
Randolph-Macon |
130 |
30-7 |
10 |
|
14 |
Virginia Wesleyan |
120 |
29-10 |
15 |
|
15 |
Concordia (Wis.) |
110 |
27-3 |
17 |
|
16 |
Milwaukee School of Engineering |
100 |
18-4 |
19 |
|
17 |
Roanoke |
90 |
26-10 |
20 |
|
18 |
Babson |
80 |
28-6 |
T24 |
|
19 |
Wisconsin-Oshkosh |
70 |
20-6 |
11 |
|
20 |
Piedmont |
60 |
26-9 |
RV |
|
21 |
Rowan |
50 |
26-8 |
16 |
|
22 |
Geneseo |
22 |
25-3 |
RV |
|
23 |
Millikin |
15 |
26-4 |
22 |
|
24 |
Lynchburg |
14 |
23-17 |
NR |
|
25 |
Pfeiffer |
9 |
32-8 |
NR |
Others receiving votes: Case Western Reserve 8, Wisconsin-La Crosse 7, Susquehanna 6, Saint Benedict (Minn.) 5, Alma 4, Aurora 3, Tufts 3, Mount St. Joseph 1, and Wartburg 1.
Dropped out: George Fox and The College of New Jersey.
2022 NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee
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