KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the first time in program history, Georgia Gwinnett claims the No. 1 ranking in the NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, announced Tuesday by the national office. The Grizzlies captured 16-of-19 first-place votes and 526 total points.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000):
• Georgia Gwinnett is the 13th different program to hold the No. 1 ranking since the start of the 2000 season.
• The Grizzlies entered Tuesday with an 18-1 record, including victories against then-No. 14 Reinhardt (Ga.) on February 24 (11-4) and then-No. 13 Ottawa (Kan.) on March 10 (9-0).
• Georgia Gwinnett returns to the diamond Tuesday with a double-header against Truett McConnell (Ga.).
• No. 2 Marian (Ind.), No. 3 Science & Arts (Okla.) and No. 5 Vanguard (Calif.) also received first-place votes.
• Six new teams joined the Top 25 – No. 12 Thomas (Ga.), No. 17 USC Beaufort (S.C.), No. 20 Hope International (Calif.), No. 21 Jamestown (N.D.), No. 23 Faulkner (Ala.) and No. 25 Lyon (Ark.).
• No. 7 Oklahoma City leads all active schools with 130-straight rankings, falling no lower than 18th during that stretch. No. 9 William Carey (Miss.) is second with 93-consecutive mentions, followed by No. 11 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) at 54-straight.
• Former member California Baptist tops the charts of most all-time No. 1 mentions with 46. Oklahoma City is second all-time with 43, followed by former member Concordia (Calif.) with 24, former member Simon Fraser (B.C.) with 18 and Thomas (Ga.) with 13.
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 rating) 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 appear on.
• Teams that receive only one point on the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”
• The frequency of polls occurs bi-weekly.
• For the complete calendar of 2018 Top 25 Polls, click here.
2018 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – Poll No. 1 (March 13, 2018)
| RANK |
PRVS. |
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) |
2018 RECORD |
TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 |
7 |
Georgia Gwinnett (16) |
18-1 |
526 |
| 2 |
4 |
Marian (Ind.) (1) |
9-1 |
480 |
| 3 |
25 |
Science & Arts (Okla.) (1) |
14-1 |
455 |
| 4 |
12 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
14-3 |
453 |
| 5 |
17 |
Vanguard (Calif.) (1) |
24-2 |
443 |
| 6 |
2 |
Columbia (Mo.) |
7-4 |
439 |
| 7 |
1 |
Oklahoma City |
10-4 |
413 |
| 8 |
5 |
Corban (Ore.) |
12-4 |
402 |
| 9 |
8 |
William Carey (Miss.) |
12-4 |
389 |
| 10 |
10 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
19-2 |
369 |
| 11 |
8 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
10-3 |
355 |
| 12 |
RV |
Thomas (Ga.) |
16-6 |
354 |
| 13 |
5 |
Brenau (Ga.) |
11-6 |
308 |
| 14 |
3 |
Southern Oregon |
19-7 |
290 |
| 15 |
19 |
Mobile (Ala.) |
14-5 |
257 |
| 16 |
21 |
Grand View (Iowa) |
5-2 |
242 |
| 17 |
NR |
USC Beaufort (S.C.) |
20-5 |
238 |
| 18 |
11 |
St. Francis (Ill.) |
8-4 |
222 |
| 19 |
13 |
Ottawa (Kan.) |
14-6 |
213 |
| 20 |
NR |
Hope International (Calif.) |
18-2 |
196 |
| 21 |
RV |
Jamestown (N.D.) |
14-3 |
192 |
| 22 |
15 |
Morningside (Iowa) |
10-5 |
176 |
| 23 |
NR |
Faulkner (Ala.) |
18-2 |
174 |
| 24 |
22 |
Warner (Fla.) |
15-6 |
110 |
| 25 |
NR |
Lyon (Ark.) |
18-4 |
106 |
Others Receiving Votes: Baker (Kan.) 105; Oregon Tech 94; Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) 80; Central Methodist (Mo.) 64; Rio Grande (Ohio) 52; Reinhardt (Ga.) 50; Georgetown (Ky.) 38; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 22; Aquinas (Mich.) 20; William Jessup (Calif.) 18; Northwestern (Iowa) 11; Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 8; Simpson (Calif.) 6; Taylor (Ind.) 5; Bellevue (Neb.) 3