2022 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 PRESEASON Poll (January 12, 2022)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After ending 2021 as the national runners-up, Oregon Tech will begin 2022 as the top team in the preseason edition of the Top 25. The Owls received 17 of 18 first place votes after finishing the season 48-10 a year ago. College of Idaho took the No. 2 spot with Science & Arts (Okla.) just behind at No. 3. The Drovers were the lone team to receive a first-place vote outside of Oregon Tech. Oklahoma City and defending national champion Southern Oregon rounded-out the top five at Nos. 4 and 5 respectively.
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 the polls is bi-weekly. This policy was approved by the National Administrative Council (NAC) prior to the 2016-17 academic season. This change allows raters the opportunity to consider a larger body of work between rating periods.
- For the complete Top 25 calendar, click here.
2022 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 PRESEASON Poll (January 12, 2022)
| RANK | LAST YEAR | SCHOOL [1st Place Votes] | 2021 RECORD | FINAL POINTS |
| 1 | 2 | Oregon Tech [17] | 48-10 | 498 |
| 2 | 3 | College of Idaho | 44-19 | 473 |
| 3 | 9 | Science & Arts (Okla.) [1] | 49-8 | 460 |
| 4 | 8 | Oklahoma City | 44-6 | 421 |
| 5 | 1 | Southern Oregon | 55-6 | 416 |
| 6 | 7 | Columbia (Mo.) | 35-7 | 412 |
| 7 | 4 | Ottawa (Kan.) | 45-7 | 410 |
| 8 | 10 | Indiana Wesleyan | 44-9 | 397 |
| 9 | 5 | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 34-8 | 358 |
| 10 | 16 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 41-13 | 351 |
| 11 | 14 | Georgia Gwinnett | 33-13 | 348 |
| 12 | 11 | Grand View (Iowa) | 44-13 | 336 |
| 13 | 12 | Central Methodist (Mo.) | 50-9 | 290 |
| 14 | 13 | Madonna (Mich.) | 34-11 | 255 |
| 15 | 25 | Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) | 41-13 | 241 |
| 16 | 21 | William Carey (Miss.) | 39-11 | 240 |
| 17 | 19 | Hope International (Calif.) | 30-11 | 233 |
| 18 | 22 | Marian (Ind.) | 45-15 | 218 |
| 19 | 15 | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | 36-4 | 216 |
| 20 | RV | Morningside (Iowa) | 43-11 | 210 |
| 21 | 18 | Milligan (Tenn.) | 32-9 | 181 |
| 22 | RV | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 41-16 | 139 |
| 23 | 6 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 39-11 | 125 |
| 24 | RV | Central Baptist (Ark.) | 34-15 | 105 |
| 25 | 19 | Houston-Victoria (Texas) | 23-23 | 103 |
Dropped from the Top 25: Mount Mercy (Iowa), Midland (Neb.), Bethany (Kan.)
Others Receiving Votes: Bethany (Kan.) 67, Coastal Georgia 64, Jamestown (N.D.) 62, Mount Mercy (Iowa) 52, Rio Grande (Ohio) 49, Reinhardt (Ga.) 39, Dickinson State (N.D.) 35, Taylor (Ind.) 21, Aquinas (Mich.) 19, Simpson (Calif.) 14, Mobile (Ala.) 12, Midland (Neb.) 11, Webber International (Fla.) 7, Vanguard (Calif.) 6, Indiana Southeast (Ind.) 3, Truett McConnell (Ga.) 3, Texas A&M Texarkana 3.
