LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Defending national champion North Georgia is the unanimous preseason favorite in the 2024 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll.
Mike Davenport’s NightHawks set a program-record with 64 wins in 2023 as they went 10-1 during the NCAA postseason. They recorded a 5-1 mark at the NCAA Championships, which included a Championship Series sweep of Grand Valley State.
National runner-up Grand Valley State opens the season at No. 2. The Lakers enjoyed a perfect 8-0 run to the Championship series before falling to the NightHawks.
National semifinalist Central Oklahoma comes in at No. 3 following a season that witnessed a program-record 54 wins, while West Texas A&M, a Super Regional participant, was voted No. 4.
NCAA Championship participants – Nova Southeastern, East Stroudsburg, Cal State San Marcos, UT Tyler and Wilmington – make up the No. 5 through 9 rankings with Tampa, who reached No. 1 last season for the first time in program history, at No. 10.
The Lone Star Conference (No. 4 WT, No. 8 UT Tyler, No. 16 Oklahoma Christian) and Sunshine State Conference (No. 5 Nova Southeastern, No. 10 Tampa, No. 18 Saint Leo) led the way with three teams in the rankings, including two each in the Top 10.
Four other leagues – Gulf South Conference (No. 12 UAH, No. 24 Mississippi College), Peach Belt Conference (No. 1 UNG, No. 23 Columbus State), Great American Conference (No. 13 Southern Arkansas, No. 22 Oklahoma Baptist) and MIAA (No. 3 UCO, No. 19 Rogers State) – were represented by two programs apiece.
The Division II softball season opens up on Thursday, Feb. 1 and that weekend features several Top 25 matchups - No. 1 North Georgia vs. No. 18 Saint Leo (Gulf Shores Invitational); No. 3 UCO vs. No. 22 Oklahoma Baptist (Mardi Gras Invitational); No. 7 Cal State San Marcos vs. No. 21 Colorado Christian (Concordia Kickoff Classic); No. 8 UT Tyler vs. No. 17 Wingate (DII First Pitch Invitational); No. 12 UAH at No. 10 Tampa; No. 21 Colorado Christian at No. 14 Concordia (Concordia Kickoff Classic); No. 16 Oklahoma Christian at No. 14 Concordia (Concordia Kickoff Classic); No. 22 Oklahoma Baptist vs. No. 24 Mississippi College (Mardi Gras Invitational); No. 16 Oklahoma Christian vs. No. 25 Northwest Nazarene.
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. The first poll of the regular season will be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 13 and every Tuesday at noon ET throughout the regular season.
2024 NFCA Division II Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll
January 23 (Preseason)
|
Rank |
School |
Points |
Record |
Previous Ranking |
|
1 |
North Georgia (16) |
400 |
0-0 |
|
|
2 |
Grand Valley State |
384 |
0-0 |
|
|
3 |
Central Oklahoma |
359 |
0-0 |
|
|
4 |
West Texas A&M |
331 |
0-0 |
|
|
5 |
Nova Southeastern |
330 |
0-0 |
|
|
6 |
East Stroudsburg |
312 |
0-0 |
|
|
7 |
Cal State San Marcos |
298 |
0-0 |
|
|
8 |
UT Tyler |
291 |
0-0 |
|
|
9 |
Wilmington |
280 |
0-0 |
|
|
10 |
Tampa |
271 |
0-0 |
|
|
11 |
Indianapolis |
254 |
0-0 |
|
|
12 |
UAH |
215 |
0-0 |
|
|
13 |
Southern Arkansas |
192 |
0-0 |
|
|
14 |
Adelphi |
160 |
0-0 |
|
|
14 |
Concordia |
160 |
0-0 |
|
|
16 |
Oklahoma Christian |
148 |
0-0 |
|
|
17 |
Wingate |
141 |
0-0 |
|
|
18 |
Saint Leo |
133 |
0-0 |
|
|
19 |
Rogers State |
124 |
0-0 |
|
|
20 |
Charleston |
105 |
0-0 |
|
|
21 |
Colorado Christian |
102 |
0-0 |
|
|
22 |
Oklahoma Baptist |
49 |
0-0 |
|
|
23 |
Columbus State |
45 |
0-0 |
|
|
24 |
Mississippi College |
44 |
0-0 |
|
|
25 |
Northwest Nazarene |
22 |
0-0 |
|
Receiving Votes: Harding (17), West Alabama (12), Lenoir-Rhyne (6), Lubbock Christian (6), Missouri Southern (4), Auburn Montgomery (2), Sonoma State (2), Kutztown (1).
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.
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.
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