LOUISVILLE, Ky. – North Georgia ran its winning streak to 29 games and secured the unanimous No. 1 ranking in this week’s 2023 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. The NightHawks (30-1) rattled off six more wins last week and became one of the first two NCAA teams to reach the 30-win mark in 2023.
UNG went 6-0 in Peach Belt Conference action, sweeping Augusta on the road (11-5, 12-1, 17-1) and Georgia Southwestern State at home (2-1, 13-5, 7-6). The three wins at “The Hill” ran the Nighthawks’ home record to 25-0.
Joining the NightHawks as 30-win programs is No. 12 Colorado Christian (30-2).
North Georgia, along with 10 other programs in the top-15, went undefeated last week with No. 2 Rogers State and No. 6 Grand Valley State idle. No. 3 Tampa and No. 4 UT Tyler held firm with 5-0 and 3-0 marks on their home fields.
Following then-No. 5 Cal State San Marcos’ slide out of the top-10, No. 5 Central Oklahoma, No. 6 Grand Valley State and No. 7 UAH each moved up a spot, while Concordia catapulted four positions to No. 8.
The fifth-ranked Bronchos (20-3) swept Northern State (10-2, 13-1) in a non-conference twinbill, while UAH won both contests in a weather-shortened Gulf South Conference series at Shorter.
Concordia makes its first appearance in the top-10 this year. The Golden Eagles (26-6) posted four wins in a pair of doubleheader sweeps against Pace and at Biola. The latter two wins over the Eagles pushed Concordia’s PacWest-leading record to 14-2.
No. 9 Indianapolis and No. 10 Valdosta State went a combined 9-0. The Greyhounds (23-3) collected four wins in Florida, while the Blazers (24-4) scored 66 runs as they cruised to road wins at Florida Tech and Christian Brothers.
There were no new additions to the top 25 this week, but there was some shuffling. Cal State San Marcos saw the biggest drop, falling to No. 15, while fellow California Collegiate Athletic Association foe Sonoma State elevated eight spots to a tie for 13th with Harding.
The 2023 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by the NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll Committee. The committee consists of 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the NCAA’s eight regions. Records reflect games played through March 5, 2023.
2023 NFCA Division II Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll
March 21 (Week 6)
|
Rank |
School |
Points |
2023 Record |
Previous Ranking |
|
1 |
North Georgia (16) |
400 |
30-1 |
1 |
|
2 |
Rogers State |
378 |
21-2 |
2 |
|
3 |
Tampa |
374 |
21-1 |
3 |
|
4 |
UT Tyler |
352 |
28-4 |
4 |
|
5 |
Central Oklahoma |
330 |
20-3 |
6 |
|
6 |
Grand Valley State |
312 |
15-2 |
7 |
|
7 |
UAH |
303 |
21-4 |
8 |
|
8 |
Concordia |
277 |
26-6 |
12 |
|
9 |
Indianapolis |
270 |
23-3 |
9 |
|
10 |
Valdosta State |
257 |
24-4 |
10 |
|
11 |
Lubbock Christian |
242 |
24-8 |
11 |
|
12 |
Colorado Christian |
206 |
30-2 |
14 |
|
13 |
Harding |
181 |
23-6 |
13 |
|
13 |
Sonoma State |
181 |
18-4 |
21 |
|
15 |
Cal State San Marcos |
178 |
16-7 |
5 |
|
16 |
Adelphi |
164 |
10-3 |
15 |
|
17 |
Southern Arkansas |
153 |
22-8 |
16 |
|
18 |
Saint Leo |
127 |
27-4 |
20 |
|
19 |
Wingate |
108 |
27-8 |
18 |
|
20 |
West Texas A&M |
96 |
23-4 |
22 |
|
21 |
Washburn |
88 |
23-5 |
19 |
|
22 |
Cal State Dominguez Hills |
57 |
15-8 |
17 |
|
23 |
Mississippi College |
53 |
22-4 |
25 |
|
24 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
48 |
23-5 |
23 |
|
25 |
Carson-Newman |
21 |
24-6 |
24 |
New to Poll: None
Dropped Out: None
Receiving Votes: Oklahoma Christian (18), Nova Southeastern (10), Wilmington (7), Saginaw Valley State (4), Oklahoma Baptist (2), West Alabama (2), Shepherd (1).
The 2023 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by the NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll Committee. The committee consists of 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the NCAA’s eight regions. Records reflect games played through March 19, 2023.
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