Red-hot Angelo State earns unanimous No. 1 ranking NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll

Red-hot Angelo State earns unanimous No. 1 ranking NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A red-hot Angelo State squad was voted the unanimous No. 1 team in this week’s NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. Receiving all 16 first-place votes and 400 points, the Rambelles (49-4) have won 14 straight and 45 of their last 48 to earn their second unanimous No. 1 ranking this season.

Angelo State collected five more victories last week knocking off St. Edward’s (5-1, 9-1) in a mid-week doubleheader and sweeping a Lone Star Conference (LSC) series from Texas A&M University-Commerce (7-2, 6-1, 7-0).

Remaining at No. 2, Harding improved to 45-5 with a 3-1 week. The Bison split a tightly-contested Great American Conference twinbill against Arkansas Tech with each squad earning 2-1 victories. Over the weekend, Harding swept GAC foe Arkansas Monticello (2-1, 7-5, 3-0) in the first two games of the four-game series.

North Georgia leapfrogged from No. 9 to No. 3 as it claimed the 2017 Peach Belt Conference Tournament championship last weekend. After wrapping up their regular season with a 7-0 win at Montevallo, the Nighthawks (44-10) topped Francis Marion (6-1), Young Harris (5-4) and Flagler (4-0) to win their fourth straight tournament title.

Cal State Monterey Bay took three-of-four from then-No. 15 Chico State (1-7, 4-0, 9-8 in 12 inn., 4-2) in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play to grab the No. 4 ranking, its highest ranking of 2017. Southern Indiana remained at No. 5 as it split a Sunday twinbill with Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Truman State (9-5, 3-7)

Pfeiffer dropped two spots to No. 6. The Falcons (40-4) won their final four regular season contests to edge out Limestone for its first Conference Carolinas regular season title since 2000. They will open tournament play on Friday, April 28 against Lees-McRae.

West Texas A&M fell one position to No. 7 after a 3-2 week, splitting with NAIA No. 1 Oklahoma City (7-9 in 10 inn., 7-3) and earning a LSC series win over Texas A&M University-Kingsville (5-4 in 9 inn., 2-3, 4-2).

West Virginia Wesleyan moved into the No. 8 ranking. The Bobcats (36-6) are riding an 11-game winning streak as they picked up six more wins last week, the final four on the road in Mountain East Conference play.

Humboldt State fell to No. 9 after suffering a 1-3 CCAA series defeat at Sonoma State. Minnesota State entered the top-10 for the first time this season. The 10th-ranked Mavericks (44-6) collected six wins in Northern Sun play to extend their winning streak to 14 games.

University of New Haven makes its first appearance in the top-25 at No. 23, while No. 24 Dixie State returns after a one-week absence.

The NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the eight NCAA regions. Records reflect games played through Sunday, April 23.

2017 NFCA Division II Softball Coaches Poll
Week 11 | April 26, 2017

Rank Team (First place votes) Points 2017 Record Last Week 1 Angelo State (16) 400 49-4 1 2 Harding 381 45-5 2 3 North Georgia 356 44-10 8 4 Cal State Monterey Bay 343 41-8 7 5 Southern Indiana 328 39-9 5 6 Pfeiffer 319 40-4 4 7 West Texas A&M 306 37-9 6 8 West Virginia Wesleyan 286 36-6 10 9 Humboldt State 270 33-11 3 10 Minnesota State 267 44-6 11 11 Colorado Mesa 237 38-6 12 12 West Florida 201 36-12 25 13 Lenoir-Rhyne 184 44-9 16 14 Southern Arkansas 174 38-12 14 14 Saint Leo 174 35-12 9 16 Caldwell 158 36-14 17 17 California Baptist 151 36-11 13 18 UAH 143 34-11 18 19 St. Mary’s 113 37-12 19 20 West Chester 100 35-9 20 21 Central Oklahoma 69 41-9 22 22 Saginaw Valley State 66 27-12 21 23 New Haven 36 28-10 RV 24 Dixie State 33 37-12 RV 25 Wayne State (Mich.) 30 34-12 24

Dropped Out:  No. 15 Chico State, No. 23 Tampa

New to Poll: No. 23 New Haven, No. 24 Dixie State

Receiving Votes:  Armstrong State (26), Adelphi (16), North Alabama (11), Central Washington (9), Pittsburg State (4), Tampa (4), Charleston (3), UMSL (2).

The NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the eight NCAA regions. Records reflect games played through Sunday, April 23.

 

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