Eleven Teams Move Up in Fifth Edition of NAIA Softball Coaches' Top 25 Poll
April 20, 2010
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Six of the nation's top-10 teams remained intact, including California Baptist in the No. 1 spot in the fifth edition of the NAIA Softball Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday. For the sixth time in as many polls, the Lancers were the unanimous pick, tallying 24 first-place votes for 684 points. No. 2 Lee (Tenn.), No. 3 Bethel (Ind.) and No. 4 Lubbock Christian (Texas) hold steady from last week, while Concordia (Ore.) moves up one spot to No. 5.
After receiving votes in the preseason poll, Warner (Fla.) cracks into the Top 25 for the first time this season at No. 24. The Royals (22-12-1, 7-2 The Sun Conference) are the only new addition to this week's poll. Columbia (Mo.) and Mobile (Ala.) were tied for 25th last week, but separated to No. 25 and 23, respectively. With the addition of Warner and the tie breaking, a pair of teams, then-No. 15 Savannah College of Art & Design (Ga.) and then-No. 21 Saint Xavier (Ill.), were pushed out of the poll.
Other than SCAD and Saint Xavier, only one team dropped in the poll with Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) moving back three to eighth. Ten teams moved up one position, while No. 20 Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) improved four spots and Mobile's two-spot improvement.
The Lancers, who have controlled the Top 25 for 13 consecutive polls dating back to March 29, 2009, boast a record of 51-1 and 21-1 in Golden State Athletic Conference play. California Baptist clinched its seventh straight GSAC title with an 11-3 win over then-No. 5 Point Loma Nazarene on April 13. Head coach Mike Smith's team also avenged its only loss of the season by sweeping then-No. 8 Concordia (Calif.) 6-2 and 7-6 on April 17.
California Baptist's 51 wins are the most among the Top 25, followed by Lee, Lubbock Christian and Belhaven with 40-or more victories. The top-six teams are also the only ranked squads with fewer than five losses, with seven additional teams that have 10 or fewer losses.
Thirteen conferences and unaffiliated groupings are represented in the poll. The Southern States Athletic Conference leads all leagues with four ranked teams: Lee, No. 11 Brenau (Ga.), No. 17 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) and No. 18 Shorter (Ga.). Four conferences, the GSAC, Sooner Athletic Conference, Association of Independent Institutions and the unaffiliated grouping of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and the Sunrise Conference, each have three ranked squads. The TranSouth Athletic Conference has a pair of listed teams.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences. The next poll will be announced on April 27.
| RANK | LAST WEEK | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2010 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | California Baptist University (24) | 51-1 | 684 |
| 2 | 2 | Lee University (Tenn.) | 47-4 | 657 |
| 3 | 3 | Bethel College (Ind.) | 35-3-1 | 630 |
| 4 | 4 | Lubbock Christian University (Texas) | 44-4 | 610 |
| 5 | 6 | Concordia University (Ore.) | 26-2 | 594 |
| 6 | 7 | Belhaven University (Miss.) | 43-5 | 589 |
| 7 | 8 | Concordia University (Calif.) | 37-15 | 539 |
| 8 | 5 | Point Loma Nazarene University (Calif.) | 24-10 | 536 |
| 9 | 9 | Oklahoma City University | 29-7 | 523 |
| 10 | 10 | Simon Fraser University (B.C.) | 16-8 | 474 |
| 11 | 11 | Brenau University (Ga.) | 28-9-1 | 445 |
| 12 | 12 | Dickinson State University (N.D.) | 20-9 | 443 |
| 13 | 13 | California State University-San Marcos | 32-12 | 439 |
| 14 | 14 | Saint Gregory's University (Okla.) | 25-12 | 384 |
| 15 | 16 | William Carey University (Miss.) | 33-12 | 366 |
| 16 | 17 | University of Houston - Victoria (Texas) | 30-12 | 350 |
| 17 | 18 | Auburn University Montgomery (Ala.) | 35-14-1 | 337 |
| 18 | 19 | Shorter College (Ga.) | 38-12 | 313 |
| 19 | 20 | Trevecca Nazarene University (Tenn.) | 35-11 | 273 |
| 20 | 24 | Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) | 37-8 | 222 |
| 21 | 22 | Madonna University (Mich.) | 29-6 | 202 |
| 22 | 23 | Martin Methodist College (Tenn.) | 38-11 | 186 |
| 23 | 25 | University of Mobile (Ala.) | 31-16 | 179 |
| 24 | NR | Warner University (Fla.) | 22-12-1 | 178 |
| 25 | 25 | Columbia College (Mo.) | 28-15 | 153 |
Others receiving votes: Savannah College of Art and Design (Ga.) 82; Marian University (Ind.) 80; MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) 80; Simpson University (Calif.) 67; Reinhardt College (Ga.) 53; Williams Baptist College (Ark.) 45; Mount Mercy College (Iowa) 43; Robert Morris University (Ill.) 27; Campbellsville University (Ky.) 19; William Penn University (Iowa) 13; Saint Xavier University (Ill.) 13; Union University (Tenn.) 11; Azusa Pacific University (Calif.) 11; Texas Wesleyan University 9; Morningside College (Iowa) 9; Indiana University Southeast 4; Davenport University (Mich.) 4; Lindenwood University (Mo.) 3; Rogers State University (Okla.) 3; Georgetown College (Ky.) 1; McKendree University (Ill.) 1; Jamestown College (N.D.) 1; Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas) 1; Evangel University (Mo.) 1.
