KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Southern Oregon University claims the top spot for the second edition of the 2021 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25. The defending national championship started the season off with a 15-1 record, returning seven starters from the 2019 national championship team.
The Raiders lead four Cascade Collegiate Conference teams on the poll, with Oregon Tech jumping into the rankings at No. 7 after starting the season 14-0. The College of Idaho and Corban University are receiving votes in the poll.
2021 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll 1 (March 10, 2021)
| RANK |
LAST WEEK |
SCHOOL [1st PLACE VOTES] |
RECORD |
FINAL POINTS |
| 1 |
1 |
Southern Oregon [15] |
15-1 |
496 |
| 2 |
2 |
Science & Arts (Okla.) [3] |
11-0 |
484 |
| 3 |
3 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
12-0 |
466 |
| 4 |
4 |
Oklahoma City |
6-1 |
450 |
| 5 |
5 |
Marian (Ind.) |
4-4 |
396 |
| 6 |
10 |
Georgia Gwinnett |
11-3 |
395 |
| 7 |
NR |
Oregon Tech |
14-0 |
377 |
| 8 |
21 |
Reinhardt (Ga.) |
16-4 |
359 |
| 9 |
NR |
Central Methodist (Mo.) |
12-1 |
356 |
| 10 |
8 |
Vanguard (Calif.) |
8-4 |
340 |
| 11 |
7 |
Mobile (Ala.) |
7-8 |
323 |
| 12 |
15 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
7-1 |
295 |
| 13 |
12 |
William Carey (Miss.) |
15-5 |
282 |
| 14 |
16 |
Central Baptist (Ark.) |
8-3 |
280 |
| 14 |
13 |
Hope International (Calif.) |
9-1 |
280 |
| 16 |
11 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
10-6 |
255 |
| 17 |
14 |
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) |
4-0 |
251 |
| 18 |
20 |
Morningside (Iowa) |
14-3 |
248 |
| 19 |
19 |
Warner (Fla.) |
13-5 |
211 |
| 20 |
6 |
Columbia (Mo.) |
6-5 |
191 |
| 21 |
NR |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
18-4 |
159 |
| 22 |
24 |
Indiana Southeast (Ind.) |
11-1 |
157 |
| 23 |
22 |
Saint Xavier (Ill.) |
6-0 |
153 |
| 24 |
9 |
Truett McConnell (Ga.) |
6-4 |
132 |
| 25 |
NR |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
13-6 |
116 |
| |
|
|
|
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Receiving Votes: Ottawa (Kan.) 103,
College of Idaho 72, Texas A&M Texarkana 58, Concordia (Neb.) 47, Grand View (Iowa) 38, Taylor (Ind.) 30, Coastal Georgia 26, Simpson (Calif.) 24, Freed-Hardeman (Texas) 21,
Corban (Ore.) 15, Cottey (Mo.) 7, Valley City State (N.C.) 5, Madonna (Mich.) 3
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 the polls is bi-weekly. This policy was approved by the National Administrative Council (NAC) prior to the 2016-17 academic season. This change allows raters the opportunity to consider a larger body of work between rating periods.
- For the complete Top 25 calendar, click here.