2017 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll – Jan. 17
OIT No. 19, SOU RV
By: Chad Waller, Director of Athletics Communications and Media
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Defending national champion Oklahoma City will begin the 2017 campaign in the same position it ended last year – at No. 1. The Stars hold the No. 1 ranking in the NAIA Softball Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll, announced
Tuesday by the national office. The top billing is the eighth-straight overall for Oklahoma City dating back to the middle of the 2016 season. The first regular-season Top 25 will be announced
Tuesday, March 21.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000):
• The unanimous pick with all 19 first-place votes, Oklahoma City landed 529 total points. The Stars have been ranked No. 1 in 16 of the previous 20 polls dating back to the 2015 first regular-season edition.
• The Stars capped their 2016 season by winning their ninth overall national championship on
June 2 against Saint Xavier (Ill.) by a 5-0 score.
• Oklahoma City recorded a 67-3 mark last year, marking the fourth-straight year with at least 50 wins.
• The Stars begin their season
Feb. 10 at the Cowtown Classic in Fort Worth, Texas.
• Second-ranked and national runner-up Saint Xavier gathered 529 points. The Cougars competed in their first-ever NAIA Softball World Series title game last year.
• No. 3 Southeastern (Fla.) and No. 4 St. Gregory’s (Okla.) both moved up one spot from the 2016 postseason edition.
• No. 5 Williams Baptist (Ark.) rounds out the top five. The Eagles hold their highest ranking since the 2014 Preseason Top 25 edition when they were fourth.
• No. 8 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) enjoys the most positive movement within the ranking with a four-spot hike.
• Two newcomers – No. 17 Grand View (Iowa) and No. 25 San Diego Christian (Calif.) – check in to the Top 25. Both clubs were ranked multiple times during the 2016 season.
• Eighteen of the 19 conferences are represented in the poll. Seven leagues send the most representatives with two apiece.
• Oklahoma City leads all active schools with 122-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 85-consecutive mentions. Next in line for consecutive streaks is St. Gregory’s (Okla.) at 49-straight and Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) at 46.
• Former member California Baptist tops the charts of most all-time No. 1 mentions with 46. Oklahoma City is second all-time with 36, followed by former member Concordia (Calif.) with 24, former member Simon Fraser (B.C.) with 18 and Thomas (Ga.) with 13.
• In 10 polls last year, there were 41 different ranked teams.
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”
• Frequency of polls occur bi-weekly. This policy was approved by the National Administrative Council (NAC) for the 2016-17 academic season. This change will allow raters the opportunity to consider a larger body of work in between rating periods.
• For the complete calendar of 2016 Top 25 Polls, click
here.
2017 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll – Jan. 17
| RANK |
LAST WEEK^ |
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) |
2016 RECORD |
TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 |
1 |
Oklahoma City (19) |
67-3 |
529 |
| 2 |
2 |
Saint Xavier (Ill.) |
46-8-1 |
504 |
| 3 |
4 |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
44-16 |
499 |
| 4 |
5 |
St. Gregory's (Okla.) |
48-7 |
474 |
| 5 |
7 |
Williams Baptist (Ark.) |
40-21 |
454 |
| 6 |
6 |
Simpson (Calif.) |
43-7 |
450 |
| 7 |
8 |
Marian (Ind.) |
48-12 |
428 |
| 8 |
12 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
47-14 |
396 |
| 9 |
10 |
Morningside (Iowa) |
47-10 |
392 |
| 10 |
12 |
William Carey (Miss.) |
38-17 |
365 |
| 11 |
11 |
Webber International (Fla.) |
31-16 |
359 |
| 12 |
9 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
49-10 |
357 |
| 13 |
15 |
Georgia Gwinnett |
44-19 |
309 |
| 14 |
14 |
Martin Methodist (Tenn.) |
47-17 |
301 |
| 15 |
16 |
Davenport (Mich.) |
39-12 |
283 |
| 16 |
18 |
Reinhardt (Ga.) |
41-12 |
271 |
| 17 |
RV |
Grand View (Iowa) |
43-11 |
248 |
| 18 |
17 |
Houston-Victoria (Texas) |
38-15 |
226 |
| 19 |
22 |
Oregon Tech |
30-22 |
209 |
| 20 |
19 |
Central Methodist (Mo.) |
43-18 |
202 |
| 21 |
20 |
Dickinson State (N.D.) |
46-12 |
197 |
| 22 |
21 |
LSU Alexandria |
47-12 |
135 |
| 23 |
23 |
Park (Mo.) |
32-17-1 |
115 |
| 24 |
25 |
Rio Grande (Ohio) |
41-9 |
103 |
| 25 |
NR |
San Diego Christian (Calif.) |
34-17 |
102 |
Dropped from rankings: No. 3 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.); No. 24 Arizona Christian.
Others Receiving Votes: Indiana Wesleyan 88; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 81;
Southern Oregon 63; Science & Arts (Okla.) 47; Arizona Christian 46; Oklahoma Wesleyan 29; Brenau (Ga.) 18; Valley City State (N.D.) 15; USC Beaufort (S.C.) 13; Doane (Neb.) 9; Huntington (Ind.) 9; St. Francis (Ill.) 4; Evangel (Mo.) 3; Georgetown (Ky.) 3; Madonna (Mich.) 3.
^ Ranking from 2016 Postseason Top 25 Poll (June 7, 2016)