2018 NAIA Softball Coaches' Top 25 Poll ? No. 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the first time in program history, Georgia Gwinnett claims the No. 1 ranking in the NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, announced Tuesday by the national office. The Grizzlies captured 16-of-19 first-place votes and 526 total points.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000):
• Georgia Gwinnett is the 13th different program to hold the No. 1 ranking since the start of the 2000 season.
• The Grizzlies entered Tuesday with an 18-1 record, including victories against then-No. 14 Reinhardt (Ga.) on February 24 (11-4) and then-No. 13 Ottawa (Kan.) on March 10 (9-0).
• Georgia Gwinnett returns to the diamond Tuesday with a double-header against Truett McConnell (Ga.).
• No. 2 Marian (Ind.), No. 3 Science & Arts (Okla.) and No. 5 Vanguard (Calif.) also received first-place votes.
• Six new teams joined the Top 25 – No. 12 Thomas (Ga.), No. 17 USC Beaufort (S.C.), No. 20 Hope International (Calif.), No. 21 Jamestown (N.D.), No. 23 Faulkner (Ala.) and No. 25 Lyon (Ark.).
• No. 7 Oklahoma City leads all active schools with 130-straight rankings, falling no lower than 18th during that stretch. No. 9 William Carey (Miss.) is second with 93-consecutive mentions, followed by No. 11 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) at 54-straight.
• Former member California Baptist tops the charts of most all-time No. 1 mentions with 46. Oklahoma City is second all-time with 43, 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 rating) 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 appear on.
• Teams that receive only one point on the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”
• The frequency of polls occurs bi-weekly.
• For the complete calendar of 2018 Top 25 Polls, click here.
2018 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – Poll No. 1 (March 13, 2018)
| RANK | PRVS. | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2018 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 7 | Georgia Gwinnett (16) | 18-1 | 526 |
| 2 | 4 | Marian (Ind.) (1) | 9-1 | 480 |
| 3 | 25 | Science & Arts (Okla.) (1) | 14-1 | 455 |
| 4 | 12 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 14-3 | 453 |
| 5 | 17 | Vanguard (Calif.) (1) | 24-2 | 443 |
| 6 | 2 | Columbia (Mo.) | 7-4 | 439 |
| 7 | 1 | Oklahoma City | 10-4 | 413 |
| 8 | 5 | Corban (Ore.) | 12-4 | 402 |
| 9 | 8 | William Carey (Miss.) | 12-4 | 389 |
| 10 | 10 | Indiana Wesleyan | 19-2 | 369 |
| 11 | 8 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 10-3 | 355 |
| 12 | RV | Thomas (Ga.) | 16-6 | 354 |
| 13 | 5 | Brenau (Ga.) | 11-6 | 308 |
| 14 | 3 | Southern Oregon | 19-7 | 290 |
| 15 | 19 | Mobile (Ala.) | 14-5 | 257 |
| 16 | 21 | Grand View (Iowa) | 5-2 | 242 |
| 17 | NR | USC Beaufort (S.C.) | 20-5 | 238 |
| 18 | 11 | St. Francis (Ill.) | 8-4 | 222 |
| 19 | 13 | Ottawa (Kan.) | 14-6 | 213 |
| 20 | NR | Hope International (Calif.) | 18-2 | 196 |
| 21 | RV | Jamestown (N.D.) | 14-3 | 192 |
| 22 | 15 | Morningside (Iowa) | 10-5 | 176 |
| 23 | NR | Faulkner (Ala.) | 18-2 | 174 |
| 24 | 22 | Warner (Fla.) | 15-6 | 110 |
| 25 | NR | Lyon (Ark.) | 18-4 | 106 |
Others Receiving Votes: Baker (Kan.) 105; Oregon Tech 94; Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) 80; Central Methodist (Mo.) 64; Rio Grande (Ohio) 52; Reinhardt (Ga.) 50; Georgetown (Ky.) 38; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 22; Aquinas (Mich.) 20; William Jessup (Calif.) 18; Northwestern (Iowa) 11; Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 8; Simpson (Calif.) 6; Taylor (Ind.) 5; Bellevue (Neb.) 3.
