SOU Remains No. 1 in Latest NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll

3/4/2020 10:36:24 AM

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Raiders of Southern Oregon University remain No. 1 for the second week in a row. They collected 18 first-place votes and 529 total points in the 2020 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Preseason Poll, released Wednesday morning by the NAIA office.

The Raiders are one of four Cascade Collegiate Conference teams represented on the poll, with three ranking in the top-25 and another receiving votes. College of Idaho moved up four spots to No. 15, while Corban University held at No. 24. Oregon Tech dropped out of the rankings, but is still receiving votes.

RANK	LAST WEEK	SCHOOL [1st PLACE VOTES]	RECORD	FINAL POINTS
1	1	Southern Oregon [18]	19-3	529
2	2	Science & Arts (Okla.) [1]	14-2	512
3	5	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	10-1	480
4	4	Marian (Ind.)	0-0	469
5	3	Oklahoma City	11-3	464
6	16	Columbia (Mo.)	8-0	455
7	9	Vanguard (Calif.)	18-4	422
8	7	Mobile (Ala.)	5-4	405
9	14	Truett-McConnell (Ga.)	9-2	392
10	5	Georgia Gwinnett	9-6	366
11	12	Indiana Wesleyan	4-2	344
12	11	Hope International (Calif.)	14-7	337
13	13	Campbellsville (Ky.)	8-5	304
14	15	Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)	8-4	287
15	19	College of Idaho	10-6	275
16	NR	Central Baptist (Ark.)	11-2	263
17	17	Grand View (Iowa)	7-3	241
18	18	William Carey (Miss.)	6-3	231
19	NR	Coastal Georgia	13-4	215
20	22	Morningside (Iowa)	10-2	201
21	NR	Reinhardt (Ga.)	12-6	179
22	NR	Saint Xavier (Ill.)	9-1	168
23	23	Houston-Victoria (Texas)	8-6	137
24	24	Corban (Ore.)	9-5	122
25	NR	Warner (Fla.)	9-3	109

 
Dropped Out: Marymount (Calif.), Oregon Tech, USC Beaufort (S.C.)
 
Receiving Votes: Taylor (Ind.) 82, Lyon (Ark.) 61, Madonna (Mich.) 61, Simpson (Calif.) 51, Indiana Southeast 38, Webber International (Fla.) 33, Arizona Christian 20, Georgetown (Ky.) 19, Bellevue (Neb.) 18, Central Methodist (Mo.) 13, McPherson (Kan.) 12, Marymount (Calif.) 10, Jamestown (N.D.) 9, Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 8, Cumberlands (Ky.) 5, Oregon Tech 4, Baker (Kan.) 3
 
 
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000):

• SOU, the defending national champions, started the season 19-3 to earn the No. 1 spot.
• The No. 1 Raiders are currently top five in ten different statistical categories and No. 1 in total runs scored and total run batted in.
• No. 6 Columbia (Mo.) has had an impressive start to the season. Currently undefeated with a record of 8-0, the Cougars have had big wins over No. 2 Science & Arts (Okla.) and No. 23 Houston-Victoria.
• Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) moved into the top five after a great start on the year. The Blue Raiders are currently No. 2 in homeruns per game and No. 3 in slugging percentage.
• New to the poll this week is No. 16 Central Baptist (Ark.), No. 19 Coastal Georgia, No. 21 Reinhardt (Ga.), No. 22 Saint Xavier (Ill.) and No. 25 Warner (Fla.)
• No. 5 Oklahoma City leads all active schools with 143-straight rankings, falling no lower than 18th during that stretch. William Carey (Miss.) follows with the second longest streak with 107-straight rankings. No. 3 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) is next 67 straight appearances on the rankings.

 
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 in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”
• The frequency of polls occurs bi-weekly.
• For the complete calendar of 2019 Top 25 Polls, click here.