LOUISVILLE, Ky. – North Georgia reclaimed its unanimous hold on No. 1 as the top four teams were unchanged in this week’s 2024 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. Two newcomers joined the rankings this week as Auburn Montgomery and Rollins come in at No. 17 and No. 25, respectively.
The NightHawks (23-2) scored 44 runs in four home wins last week, while the unchanged top four went a combined 16-1. UNG swept Emmanuel (11-4, 11-0) and took the first two in Peach Belt Conference action from Augusta (12-0, 10-5) to extend its win streak to 15 games.
No. 2 West Texas A&M, which earned a first-place vote last week, won its Gulf South Conference series at Oklahoma Christian. After winning the first two games (2-1, 8-0), the Lady Buffs (22-2) had their 18-game winning streak snapped by the Eagles in a 7-6 defeat.
No. 3 Rogers State and No. 4 Tampa collected four and six wins, respectively and head into this week with identical 18-4 records. The Hillcats swept a pair of twinbills, knocking off Texas Woman’s (6-3, 3-1) on the road in non-conference play and returning home for two wins in MIAA action versus Northeastern State (2-0, 2-0). The Spartans stepped out of Sunshine State Conference play with doubleheader sweeps of Assumption (9-3, 5-1), then-No. 20 Wilmington (4-3, 9-1) and Southwest Minnesota (6-2, 8-0).
UT Tyler moved into the No. 5 position after a historic offensive explosion in a three-game LSC sweep at Midwestern State. In the series opener, the Patriots (19-5) scored 16 first-inning runs and 23 in their first two trips to the plate in a 26-1 victory, scoring the most runs in the Division II era and second most in program history. UT Tyler followed with 12-1 and 4-3 wins to extend its win streak to 10 contests.
No. 6 Grand Valley State (16-5) returned from the Sunshine State following an 8-2 showing last week, while No. 7 started its spring break trip in Florida with two wins to improve to 15-2. No. 8 Mississippi College, No. 9 Cal State San Marcos and No. 10 Colorado Christian round out the top 10.
Previously-mentioned AUM and Rollins are making their first appearances in 2024. The Warhawks are 18-5 and have won eight straight and 10 of their last 11 contests. Five of those wins have come against then-No. 10 West Alabama (3) and then-No. 6 Mississippi College (2). The Tars (19-5), ranked for the first time since 2021 (final poll), are riding a 13-game win streak, which includes a three-game sweep of then-No. 15 Nova Southeastern and two triumphs over then-No. 11 Wilmington.
Outside the top 10, Pittsburg State climbed to No. 13 and enters the week with 24 wins (24-2), the most across all three NCAA divisions (March 10), while No. 18 Northwest Nazarene, No. 19 Southern Arkansas and No. 20 Lenoir-Rhyne all entered the top 20 after undefeated weeks.
The 2024 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by the NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll Committee. The committee consists of 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the NCAA’s eight regions. Results are through Sunday, March 10. The poll will be revealed on Tuesdays at Noon ET through the remainder of the regular season.
2024 NFCA Division II Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll
3/12/24 (Week 5)
|
Rank |
School |
Points |
Record |
Previous Ranking |
|
1 |
North Georgia (16) |
400 |
23-2 |
1 |
|
2 |
West Texas A&M |
382 |
22-2 |
2 |
|
3 |
Rogers State |
365 |
18-4 |
3 |
|
4 |
Tampa |
355 |
18-4 |
4 |
|
5 |
UT Tyler |
329 |
19-5 |
6 |
|
6 |
Grand Valley State |
326 |
16-5 |
5 |
|
7 |
Indianapolis |
303 |
15-2 |
8 |
|
8 |
Mississippi College |
259 |
17-4 |
10 |
|
9 |
Cal State San Marcos |
258 |
12-7 |
7 |
|
10 |
Colorado Christian |
257 |
21-4 |
9 |
|
11 |
Central Oklahoma |
244 |
16-6 |
12 |
|
12 |
Wingate |
235 |
23-6 |
11 |
|
13 |
Pittsburg State |
194 |
24-2 |
16 |
|
14 |
East Stroudsburg |
191 |
14-4 |
15 |
|
15 |
Western Washington |
188 |
15-2 |
14 |
|
16 |
Charleston |
147 |
12-1 |
17 |
|
17 |
Auburn-Montgomery |
130 |
18-5 |
NV |
|
18 |
Northwest Nazarene |
123 |
14-2 |
21 |
|
19 |
Southern Arkansas |
95 |
16-6 |
22 |
|
20 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
89 |
23-5 |
23 |
|
21 |
West Alabama |
82 |
14-9 |
13 |
|
22 |
Concordia |
62 |
17-4 |
24 |
|
23 |
Wilmington |
51 |
7-8 |
20 |
|
24 |
Angelo State |
41 |
20-8 |
25 |
|
25 |
Rollins |
30 |
19-5 |
NV |
New to Poll: No. 17 Auburn-Montgomery, No. 25 Rollins
Dropped Out: No. 18 Saint Leo, No. 19 Nova Southeastern
Receiving Votes: Washburn (22), Nova Southeastern (16), Kutztown (10), Ohio Dominican (10), Francis Marion (4), Missouri Southern (2).
The 2024 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by the NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll Committee. The committee consists of 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the NCAA’s eight regions. Records reflect games played through March 10.
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!
