The final softball NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll has been released and Randolph-Macon has once again finished in the top 10. It's the second consecutive full season the Yellow Jackets have finished in the top 10 after finishing No. 8 in 2019.
The Lemon and Black also finished No. 18 during a COVID-shortened 2020 campaign and spent a portion of the 2021 season ranked before COVID ended the season once again prematurely.
Randolph-Macon finished the season 35-11, matching the 2017 team for the second-best record in program history. The Yellow Jackets received an at-large bid to the national tournament and won the Ashland, Va., regional championship before falling to Eastern Connecticut State in the super regional.
Christopher Newport finished as the top team after winning the national championship. Trine, Texas Lutheran, Berry, and Salisbury fill out the top five. Eastern Connecticut State, Belhaven, Virginia Wesleyan, and Millikin were six through nine while Bethel tied R-MC for the 10th spot.
The Yellow Jackets have now finished in the top 25 in five of the last six seasons. They finished No. 17 in 2017, No. 18 in 2018, No. 8 in 2019, No. 18 in 2020, and now No. 10 in 2022.
NFCA Division III Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll – June 7, 2022
Rank | Team | Points | 2022 Record | Previous |
1 | Christopher Newport (10) | 250 | 47-1 | 1 |
2 | Trine | 240 | 35-13 | 20 |
3 | Texas Lutheran | 230 | 45-6 | 2 |
4 | Berry | 220 | 36-13 | 10 |
5 | Salisbury | 210 | 42-8 | 4 |
6 | Eastern Connecticut State | 200 | 44-7 | 3 |
7 | Belhaven | 190 | 41-8 | 5 |
8 | Virginia Wesleyan | 180 | 36-13 | 9 |
9 | Millikin | 170 | 37-9 | RV |
T10 | Bethel | 155 | 37-7 | 12 |
T10 | Randolph-Macon | 155 | 35-11 | 16 |
12 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 140 | 35-17 | NR |
13 | Case Western Reserve | 130 | 30-12 | T25 |
14 | Linfield | 120 | 38-9 | 6 |
15 | East Texas Baptist | 110 | 33-12 | 7 |
16 | Concordia (Wis.) | 100 | 36-6 | 18 |
17 | Wartburg | 90 | 30-4 | T25 |
18 | Mary Hardin-Baylor | 80 | 32-11 | 11 |
19 | Birmingham-Southern | 70 | 32-8 | 15 |
20 | Piedmont | 60 | 31-11 | 14 |
21 | Rowan | 50 | 35-10 | 17 |
22 | DePauw | 40 | 35-11 | 8 |
T23 | Mount St. Joseph | 11 | 34-12 | NR |
T23 | Tufts | 11 | 36-12 | NR |
25 | Babson | 10 | 38-10 | 23 |
Dropped out: Amherst, Buena Vista, Geneseo, Illinois Wesleyan, Roanoke, Rochester, Susquehanna
2022 NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee
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Original source can be found here.