2016 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Postseason Top 25 Poll – June 8
By: Chad Waller, Director of Communications and Sports Information
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the seventh-straight time, Oklahoma City ranks No. 1 in the 2016 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Postseason Top 25 Poll, announced Wednesday by the national office. The Stars won their ninth overall national championship on June 2 after a 5-0 victory against Saint Xavier (Ill.).
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000):
• Oklahoma City boasts its seventh-consecutive No. 1 ranking as it tallied 529 total points and all 19 first-place votes.
• The Stars earned their NAIA-record ninth all-time World Series championship on June 2 against Saint Xavier (Ill.). Oklahoma City won the title coming out of the elimination bracket, which meant the squad had to win back-to-back games on June 2 over the Cougars.
• In the 36-year history of the NAIA World Series, that marked only the fourth time and first since 2008 that a team emerged from the elimination bracket and captured the red banner.
• National runner-up St. Xavier claims 512 points and the No. 2 postseason ranking. The Cougars advanced to its first-ever national championship contest.
• The newcomers in this edition are: No. 7 Williams Baptist (Ark.), No. 11 Webber International (Fla.) and No. 22 Oregon Tech. Both Williams Baptist and Oregon Tech posted a Top 25 ranking earlier this year. Webber International lands its first posting this season.
• Oklahoma City leads all active schools with 121-straight rankings, falling no lower than 18th during that stretch, which goes back to the start of the 2004 season. William Carey (Miss.) is second with 84-consecutive mentions. Next in line for consecutive streaks is Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) at 50-straight; St. Gregory’s (Okla.) at 48 and Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) at 45.
• Former member California Baptist tops the charts of most all-time No. 1 mentions with 46. Oklahoma City is second all-time with 35, followed by former member Concordia (Calif.) with 24, former member Simon Fraser (B.C.) with 18 and Thomas (Ga.) with 13.
• Through all 10 polls this year, there have been 41 different ranked teams.
• Thirteen teams have held a ranking each week.
Poll Methodology
• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and the Association of Independent Institutions.
• The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place and so on through the list.
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low ratings) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appears on.
• Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”
• For the complete calendar of 2016 Top 25 Polls, click
here.
2016 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Postseason Top 25 Poll – June 8
| RANK |
LAST WEEK |
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) |
2016 RECORD |
TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 |
1 |
Oklahoma City (19) |
67-3 |
529 |
| 2 |
5 |
Saint Xavier (Ill.) |
46-10-1 |
512 |
| 3 |
2 |
Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) |
55-7 |
484 |
| 4 |
T10 |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
44-16 |
483 |
| 5 |
3 |
St. Gregory's (Okla.) |
49-7 |
466 |
| 6 |
7 |
Simpson (Calif.) |
43-7 |
407 |
| 7 |
RV |
Williams Baptist (Ark.) |
40-21 |
404 |
| 8 |
17 |
Marian (Ind.) |
48-11 |
392 |
| 9 |
4 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
49-10 |
381 |
| 10 |
15 |
Morningside (Iowa) |
47-10 |
377 |
| 11 |
RV |
Webber International (Fla.) |
31-16 |
365 |
| 12 |
8 |
William Carey (Miss.) |
38-17 |
348 |
| 12 |
6 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
47-14 |
348 |
| 14 |
T10 |
Martin Methodist (Tenn.) |
47-17 |
306 |
| 15 |
13 |
Georgia Gwinnett |
44-19 |
297 |
| 16 |
12 |
Davenport (Mich.) |
39-12 |
261 |
| 17 |
20 |
Houston-Victoria (Texas) |
38-15 |
236 |
| 18 |
14 |
Reinhardt (Ga.) |
41-12 |
234 |
| 19 |
19 |
Central Methodist (Mo.) |
43-18 |
216 |
| 20 |
16 |
Dickinson State (N.D.) |
46-12 |
207 |
| 21 |
9 |
LSU Alexandria |
47-12 |
191 |
| 22 |
RV |
Oregon Tech |
30-22 |
165 |
| 23 |
24 |
Park (Mo.) |
32-17-1 |
139 |
| 24 |
18 |
Arizona Christian |
37-16-1 |
110 |
| 25 |
22 |
Rio Grande (Ohio) |
41-9 |
108 |
Dropped from rankings: No. 21 Southern Oregon; No. 23 Grand View (Iowa), No. 25 Friends (Kan.).
Others Receiving Votes: Grand View (Iowa) 106;
Southern Oregon 83; Indiana Wesleyan 78; Friends (Kan.) 68; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 50;
Great Falls (Mont.) 26; Doane (Neb.) 21; Huntington (Ind.) 14; Brenau (Ga.) 11; Valley City State (N.D.) 8; USC Beaufort (S.C.) 5; Indiana Southeast 4; Science & Arts (Okla.) 4.