LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Southern Arkansas, which ended 2020 on a 16-game winning streak, is the No. 1 team in the 2021 NFCA Division II Top 25 Preseason Coaches Poll. The Muleriders collected all 16 first-place votes and 400 points to start the season atop the rankings.
Southern Arkansas was picked unanimously as the Great American Conference (GAC) preseason favorites, earning the preseason No. 1 nod for the fifth consecutive year. The Muleriders posted a 22-2 mark, including a perfect 12-0 mark in GAC play.
North Georgia, 2019 national champion Augustana, UT Tyler and Angelo State follow at No. 2 through No. 5, respectively. The No. 2 NightHawks (23-4) ended 2020 with Division II’s top ERA at 0.88 and the Vikings (16-3) captured seven straight victories to cap off their season.
The fourth-ranked Patriots (17-3), fifth-ranked Rambelles (19-6) and No. 9 Texas A&M University-Commerce (16-7) make up three of the five Lone Star Conference (LSC) programs. They are also joined by No. 13 and LSC preseason favorites Oklahoma Christian (21-5) and No. 19 Lubbock Christian (20-6).
UNG’s Peach Belt Conference (PBC) rival Young Harris (19-3) comes in at No. 6, while a duo from the Sunshine State Conference – Saint Leo (23-7) and Rollins (21-3) – rank seventh and eighth. Tenth-ranked Trevecca Nazarene (15-3), out of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, rounds out the top 10.
Following the LSC is the Sunshine State Conference with three ranked programs – Saint Leo, Rollins and No. 24 Tampa (19-9). The Gulf South Conference – No. 12 Valdosta State (18-5), No. 20 University of Alabama in Huntsville (15-8) -, Great Lakes Valley Conference – No. 17 South Indiana (15-4) and No. 21 Indianapolis (14-5) -, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference – Augustana and No. 15 Winona State (13-7) –, and the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) – No. 16 Lenoir-Rhyne (20-4) and No. 22 Lincoln Memorial (16-5) - each had two programs represented. In the SAC, the Bears (20-4) were tabbed the preseason favorites, while the Railsplitters (16-5) were picked second.
No. 11 Concordia Irvine (PacWest Conference), No. 14 Saint Anselm (Northeast-10 Conference), No. 18 Rogers State (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association), No. 23 West Chester (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) and No. 25 Grand Valley State (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) round out the top-25 rankings.
The 2021 NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the eight NCAA regions. In 2021, universities that are not competing will not be eligible for the poll.
2021 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll
January 27 (Preseason)
|
Rank |
School |
Points |
2020 Final Record |
2020 Final Ranking |
|
1 |
Southern Arkansas (16) |
400 |
22-2 |
1 |
|
2 |
North Georgia |
381 |
23-4 |
3 |
|
3 |
Augustana |
358 |
16-3 |
4 |
|
4 |
UT Tyler |
354 |
17-3 |
5 |
|
5 |
Angelo State |
318 |
19-6 |
7 |
|
6 |
Young Harris |
314 |
19-3 |
6 |
|
7 |
Saint Leo |
312 |
23-7 |
8 |
|
8 |
Rollins |
280 |
21-3 |
9 |
|
9 |
Texas A&M-Commerce |
260 |
16-7 |
10 |
|
10 |
Trevecca Nazarene |
258 |
15-3 |
11 |
|
11 |
Concordia Irvine |
238 |
17-5 |
13 |
|
12 |
Valdosta State |
196 |
18-5 |
15 |
|
13 |
Oklahoma Christian |
179 |
21-5 |
16 |
|
14 |
Saint Anselm |
168 |
16-4 |
12 |
|
15 |
Winona State |
166 |
13-7 |
NR |
|
16 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
164 |
20-4 |
21 |
|
17 |
Southern Indiana |
141 |
15-4 |
19 |
|
18 |
Rogers State |
136 |
21-8 |
17 |
|
19 |
Lubbock Christian |
109 |
20-6 |
18 |
|
20 |
UAH |
101 |
15-8 |
25 |
|
21 |
Indianapolis |
86 |
14-5 |
RV |
|
22 |
Lincoln Memorial |
83 |
16-5 |
14 |
|
23 |
West Chester |
66 |
12-3 |
NR |
|
24 |
Tampa |
38 |
19-9 |
RV |
|
25 |
Grand Valley State |
23 |
13-3 |
RV |
Receiving Votes: Minnesota State (18), West Liberty (18), Francis Marion (9), Metropolitan State University of Denver (9), Biola (8), St. Cloud State (5), Central Oklahoma (2), Texas A&M University-Kingsville (2).
The 2021 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the NCAA’s eight regions. Programs that do not participate during the 2021 season will not be eligible for the poll.
