LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Christopher Newport and Salisbury kept rolling with a huge showdown looming this week for the top two teams in the NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll.
No. 1 Christopher Newport (31-1) swept both William Peace and Mary Washington, while second-ranked Salisbury (30-2) beat Catholic twice for its 50th straight win at home. The two, who are also 1-2 in the Coast-to-Coast Conference standings, will square off Wednesday in a doubleheader at Captains Park in Newport News, Va.
Third-ranked Texas Lutheran (32-4) swept three games from University of Dallas to claim its eighth consecutive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season crown, while East Texas Baptist (25-7), Eastern Connecticut State (24-4), Belhaven (28-5), DePauw (24-6), Linfield (33-7), Birmingham-Southern (29-6) and Randolph-Macon (27-6) round out this week’s top 10.
Birmingham-Southern (29-6) dropped from fourth to No. 9 after losing two of three to Berry, who was ranked 20th at the time. The (25-11) Vikings moved up seven places in the Top 25 after the series, with the Southern Athletic Association Tournament starting on Friday for both schools.
The College of New Jersey (20-5) moved into a tie with Babson (24-6) for 24th place after a split with No. 16 Rowan (24-6) last Tuesday. Piedmont (22-9), which has lost just once since the NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic in the beginning of March, returns to the receiving-votes category this week after sweeps of Brevard and Covenant.
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 19, 2022
|
Rank |
Team |
Points |
2022 Record |
Previous |
|
1 |
Christopher Newport (10) |
250 |
31-1 |
1 |
|
2 |
Salisbury |
240 |
30-2 |
2 |
|
3 |
Texas Lutheran |
230 |
32-4 |
3 |
|
4 |
East Texas Baptist |
220 |
25-7 |
5 |
|
5 |
Eastern Connecticut State |
210 |
24-4 |
6 |
|
6 |
Belhaven |
200 |
28-5 |
7 |
|
7 |
DePauw |
190 |
24-6 |
9 |
|
8 |
Linfield |
180 |
33-7 |
10 |
|
9 |
Birmingham-Southern |
170 |
29-6 |
4 |
|
10 |
Randolph-Macon |
160 |
27-6 |
8 |
|
11 |
Wisconsin-Oshkosh |
150 |
20-4 |
14 |
|
12 |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
140 |
25-9 |
19 |
|
13 |
Berry |
130 |
25-11 |
20 |
|
14 |
Bethel |
120 |
18-2 |
22 |
|
15 |
Virginia Wesleyan |
110 |
27-10 |
11 |
|
16 |
Rowan |
100 |
24-6 |
16 |
|
17 |
Concordia (Wis.) |
90 |
20-3 |
15 |
|
18 |
Saint Benedict (Minn.) |
80 |
18-3 |
18 |
|
19 |
Milwaukee School of Engineering |
70 |
14-4 |
17 |
|
20 |
Roanoke |
60 |
22-10 |
12 |
|
21 |
Tufts |
50 |
20-9 |
13 |
|
22 |
Millikin |
27 |
24-4 |
T24 |
|
23 |
George Fox |
18 |
30-10 |
NR |
|
T24 |
Babson |
15 |
24-6 |
NR |
|
T24 |
The College of New Jersey |
15 |
20-5 |
RV |
Others receiving votes: Geneseo 13, Piedmont 11, and Mount St. Joseph 1.
Dropped out: Chapman, Loras, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Moravian, Pfeiffer, and Trine.
2022 NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee
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