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 four polls this season and last seven polls overall going back to last April. Tufts has been ranked No. 1 in eight of the last 11 polls and 13 of the last 17.
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 pair of games on March 14 at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla.
Division III runner-up Salisbury (3-1), fifth-place finisher East Texas Baptist (6-0) and third-place finisher Wisconsin-Whitewater — which opens March 20 at the NTC Spring Games in Clermont, Fla. — continue to be locked securely in the second through fourth 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 started this season with three straight wins before losing the second game of Tuesday’s twinbill with No. 11 Virginia Wesleyan (4-2) on a pair of errors in the bottom of the sixth that plated two runs and broke a 1-1 tie.
The Sea Gulls and new No. 5 Texas-Tyler (13-0) are the only teams other then Tufts to be ranked No. 1 in the past 20 rankings, going back to April 24, 2013, when No. 15 Montclair State held the top spot.
East Texas Baptist (6-0) doubled its win total over the past week following a 20-day weather hiatus with a three-game sweep at Mary Hardin-Baylor. Texas-Tyler, meanwhile, added to its stellar start with a three-game sweep at Howard Payne to move up from the seventh spot.
No. 6 Illinois Wesleyan (6-0), No. 7 Trine (11-1) and No. 10 Christopher Newport (3-2) all remained in the top 10, joined this week by No. 8 Emory (11-1) and No. 9 Luther (8-0), which moved up from 16th and 18th, respectively.
Averett (12-0-1), Fontbonne (4-0) and Louisiana College (9-1) join the poll for the first time this season, while Western Connecticut State (set to start season on March 14) returns after a one-week hiatus. Alfred, Coe, Messiah and Texas Lutheran all dropped out.
The NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll is selected by eight NCAA Division III head coaches representing the eight NCAA regions.
For the complete poll, click here