LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two-time defending national champion Tufts University stays put as the unanimous choice atop the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III Top 25 softball rankings.
They have received all eight first-place votes in the first three polls this season and last six polls overall going back to last April. Tufts has been ranked No. 1 in seven of the last 10 polls and 12 of the last 16.
The Jumbos went 5-1 in the NCAA Championship at Texas-Tyler’s Suddenlink Field last season as part of a 13-1 postseason run en route to a 47-4 mark and their second straight Division III title. Tufts is set to open its season with a trio of games on March 14 at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla.
Division III runner-up Salisbury (44-5 last season) and fifth-place finisher East Texas Baptist (3-0 this season) continue to be locked securely in the No. 2 and 3 spots. Salisbury spent three weeks at No. 1 last season and has been the clear second choice in the poll since dealing Tufts its first postseason loss since 2012 in the first game of the best-of-3 NCAA Championship Series last May.
The Sea Gulls’ lone losses in Tyler came in the final two games to Tufts, including a 6-0 loss in 14 innings in the second game of the Championship Series that was scoreless for the first 13. Salisbury was set to open its season later this week with its own Sea Gull Classic, but has already been forced to cancel that tournament.
The Sea Gulls and No. 7 Texas-Tyler (10-0) are the only teams other then Tufts to be ranked No. 1 in the past 19 rankings, going back to April 24, 2013, when No. 15 Montclair State held the top spot.
East Texas Baptist (3-0) is the only team in the top three that has played this season, though the Tigers have had five straight games since then cancelled due to weather.
Rounding out the top five are Wisconsin-Whitewater and Christopher Newport. The No. 4 Warhawks are slated to open their season with a pair of games on March 20 in Florida, while fifth-ranked Christopher Newport (0-1) finally got its year going — after eight failed attempts due to weather — with a 12-8 loss on Monday at Averett.
Also in the unchanged first eight are unbeaten No. 6 Trine (5-0) and No. 8 Illinois Wesleyan, which is set to open with two games on March 7 in Orlando, Fla. Rochester and Virginia Wesleyan, who also have yet to play, each jumped up one spot to round out the top 10.
The biggest gainers this week are Kean and DePauw, who picked up two spots apiece, to No. 13 and 23, respectively. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (6-2), meanwhile, dropped five places to 14th. Simpson (6-0) moved up to No. 25, while Coe (2-0) joins the receiving votes category and Western Connecticut State dropped out.
The NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll is selected by eight NCAA Division III head coaches representing the eight NCAA regions. Current records are listed, with first-place votes in parentheses.
For the complete poll, click here