By: Chad Waller, Director of Communications and Sports Information

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the seventh-straight time, Oklahoma City ranks No. 1 in the 2016 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Postseason Top 25 Poll, announced Wednesday by the national office. The Stars won their ninth overall national championship on June 2 after a 5-0 victory against Saint Xavier (Ill.).

Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000):
• Oklahoma City boasts its seventh-consecutive No. 1 ranking as it tallied 529 total points and all 19 first-place votes.
• The Stars earned their NAIA-record ninth all-time World Series championship on June 2 against Saint Xavier (Ill.). Oklahoma City won the title coming out of the elimination bracket, which meant the squad had to win back-to-back games on June 2 over the Cougars.
• In the 36-year history of the NAIA World Series, that marked only the fourth time and first since 2008 that a team emerged from the elimination bracket and captured the red banner.
• National runner-up St. Xavier claims 512 points and the No. 2 postseason ranking. The Cougars advanced to its first-ever national championship contest.
• The newcomers in this edition are: No. 7 Williams Baptist (Ark.), No. 11 Webber International (Fla.) and No. 22 Oregon Tech. Both Williams Baptist and Oregon Tech posted a Top 25 ranking earlier this year. Webber International lands its first posting this season.
• Oklahoma City leads all active schools with 121-straight rankings, falling no lower than 18th during that stretch, which goes back to the start of the 2004 season. William Carey (Miss.) is second with 84-consecutive mentions. Next in line for consecutive streaks is Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) at 50-straight; St. Gregory’s (Okla.) at 48 and Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) at 45.
• Former member California Baptist tops the charts of most all-time No. 1 mentions with 46. Oklahoma City is second all-time with 35, followed by former member Concordia (Calif.) with 24, former member Simon Fraser (B.C.) with 18 and Thomas (Ga.) with 13.
• Through all 10 polls this year, there have been 41 different ranked teams.
• Thirteen teams have held a ranking each week.

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 ratings) 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 appears on.
• Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”
• For the complete calendar of 2016 Top 25 Polls, click here.

2016 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Postseason Top 25 Poll – June 8

Dropped from rankings: No. 21 Southern Oregon; No. 23 Grand View (Iowa), No. 25 Friends (Kan.).

Others Receiving Votes: Grand View (Iowa) 106; Southern Oregon 83; Indiana Wesleyan 78; Friends (Kan.) 68; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 50; Great Falls (Mont.) 26; Doane (Neb.) 21; Huntington (Ind.) 14; Brenau (Ga.) 11; Valley City State (N.D.) 8; USC Beaufort (S.C.) 5; Indiana Southeast 4; Science & Arts (Okla.) 4.