2017 NAIA Softball Coaches' Top 25 Postseason Poll ? June 7
By: Chad Waller, Director of Athletics Communications and Media
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — National champion Oklahoma City retains the No. 1 position it held all year in the 2017 NAIA Softball Coaches' Top 25 Postseason Poll, announced Wednesday by the national office. The 14-consecutive top rankings by the Stars is the longest for an NAIA program since former member Concordia (Calif.) went 18-consecutive weeks at No. 1 that spanned the 2013-14 seasons.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000):
• Oklahoma City won its second-straight national championship and NAIA-record 10th overall title on June 1. The Stars, who went 4-0 at the 2017 NAIA Softball World Series, defeated Corban (Ore.) by a 4-1 score to capture the title.
• Oklahoma City finished the year with a 68-1 record, which established a new NAIA record. The Stars held the previous high of 67, set one year ago. Oklahoma City started the year 47-0 prior to its only loss against NCAA Division II top-10 ranked West Texas A&M on April 18.
• As a team, the Stars were No. 1 in the NAIA in several statistical categories: runs per game (7.7), total hits (730), total RBIs (474), total stolen bases (170), opponent batting average (.146), ERA (0.690) and fielding percentage (.974).
• Corban concludes its banner-setting year in the No. 2 position. The Warriors advanced to the NAIA World Series for the first time in school history and competed in the title contest.
• Two teams playing in the final round of the NAIA World Series – No. 3 LSU Alexandria (La.) and No. 4 Columbia (Mo.) – finish the season on a high note.
• No. 5 Davenport (Mich.) rounds out the top five with 446 points in the poll.
• Excluding Oklahoma City, all other Top 25 teams moved positions from the final regular-season edition. The biggest movers in a positive direction were No. 6 Southern Oregon (up 14 spots), Corban (up 12 spots) and No. 9 Warner (Fla.) (up 10 spots).
• Two rookies jumped into the Top 25: No. 10 Indiana Wesleyan and No. 13 Ottawa (Kan.). Ottawa is listed for the first time in school history. The Wildcats were last mentioned in the 2016 Preseason Top 25.
• Overall, 18 of the 19 conferences are represented in this edition. The Southern States Athletic Conference has the most schools represented with three. Five other conferences send at least two schools into the Top 25.
• Through all seven polls this year, 42 different programs were ranked at least once.
• Oklahoma City leads all active schools with 128-straight rankings, falling no lower than 18th during that stretch, which goes back to the start of the 2004 season. William Carey is second with 91-consecutive mentions. Next in line for consecutive streaks is Lindsey Wilson at 52.
• Former member California Baptist tops the charts of most all-time No. 1 mentions with 46. Oklahoma City is second all-time with 42, followed by former member Concordia (Calif.) with 24, former member Simon Fraser (B.C.) with 18 and Thomas (Ga.) with 13.
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”
• Frequency of polls occur bi-weekly. This policy was approved by the National Administrative Council (NAC) for the 2016-17 academic season. This change will allow raters the opportunity to consider a larger body of work in between rating periods.
• For the complete calendar of 2017 Top 25 Polls, click here.
2017 NAIA Softball Coaches' Top 25 Postseason Poll – June 7
| RANK | LAST WEEK^ | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2017 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Oklahoma City (19) | 68-1 | 529 |
| 2 | 14 | Corban (Ore.) | 46-13 | 505 |
| 3 | 12 | LSU Alexandria | 52-10 | 488 |
| 4 | 3 | Columbia (Mo.) | 48-7 | 486 |
| 5 | 8 | Davenport (Mich.) | 49-10 | 446 |
| 6 | 20 | Southern Oregon | 46-15 | 431 |
| 7 | 4 | Marian (Ind.) | 47-6 | 426 |
| 8 | 2 | Brenau (Ga.) | 53-7 | 388 |
| 9 | 19 | Warner (Fla.) | 29-15 | 384 |
| 10 | NR | Indiana Wesleyan | 44-15 | 355 |
| 11 | 5 | Georgia Gwinnett | 50-9-1 | 343 |
| 12 | 9 | St. Francis (Ill.) | 43-7 | 328 |
| 13 | NR | Ottawa (Kan.) | 40-19 | 327 |
| 14 | 7 | William Carey (Miss.) | 43-11 | 296 |
| 15 | 6 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 39-13 | 283 |
| 16 | 13 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 43-15-1 | 266 |
| 17 | 10 | Morningside (Iowa) | 40-12 | 254 |
| 18 | 16 | Simpson (Calif.) | 45-10 | 232 |
| 19 | 11 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 38-15 | 214 |
| 20 | 17 | Rio Grande (Ohio) | 47-10 | 210 |
| 21 | 22 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 43-17 | 178 |
| 22 | 18 | Mobile (Ala.) | 42-20 | 168 |
| 23 | 15 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 46-15 | 162 |
| 24 | 25 | Science & Arts (Okla.) | 40-18 | 155 |
| 25 | 21 | Grand View (Iowa) | 42-15 | 128 |
Dropped from rankings: Bellevue (Neb.) (No. 23); Williams Baptist (Ark.) (No. 24).
Others Receiving Votes: Oregon Tech 123; Bellevue (Neb.) 120; Williams Baptist (Ark.) 97; Taylor (Ind.) 36; Madonna (Mich.) 30; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 18; Jamestown (N.D.) 11; Clarke (Iowa) 8; Thomas (Ga.) 7; Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) 5.
^ Ranking from 2017 Coaches Top 25 Poll (May 10)
