Pre-Season West Region Conference Polls:
ASC: https://ascsports.org/news/2024/1/23/cru-narrowly-claim-presesaon-softball-favorites-30-on-players-to-watch-list.aspx
NWC: https://nwc.com/sports/news/2024/2/14/linfield-tops-2024-softball-preseason-coaches-poll.aspx.
SCIAC: Redlands is the pre-season favorite here.
SCAC: https://scacsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/releases/PreseasonPoll
South Region-ish Preseason Polls:
SAA: https://saa-sports.com/news/2024/1/24/berry-voted-no-1-in-saa-softball-pre-season-ranking.aspx
ODAC: https://odaconline.com/news/2024/2/14/021524-sball-preseason-poll.aspx
C2C: https://www.c2csports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/releases/20240201softPreseasonPoll
USA South: https://usasouth.net/news/2024/1/26/pfeiffer-tops-usa-south-preseason-softball-poll.aspx
Collegiate Conference of the South: Belhaven is the favorite here.
American Rivers Conference:
https://rollrivers.com/news/2024/2/1/american-rivers-conference-team-softball-tops-the-2024-a-r-c-preseason-coaches-poll.aspx
MIAC: https://miacathletics.com/news/2024/2/19/2024-miac-softball-season-preview.aspx
UMAC: https://umacathletics.com/news/2024/2/14/bethany-lutheran-leads-2024-umac-softball-preseason-coaches-poll.aspx
SLIAC: https://sliac.org/news/2024/1/23/spalding-preseason-softball-favorites.aspx
Midwest-ish Conference Polls:
CCIW: https://cciw.org/news/2024/2/12/illinois-wesleyan-leads-crowded-preseason-cciw-conference-race.aspx
WIAC: https://wiacsports.com/news/2024/2/8/uw-whitewater-picked-to-win-softball-championship.aspx
Great Lakes-ish Region Pre-Season Polls:
HCAC: https://heartlandconf.org/news/2024/2/8/transylvania-university-voted-to-repeat-as-hcac-softball-champions-in-2024.aspx
MIAA: https://www.miaa.org/sports/sball/2023-24/releases/PreseasonPoll
OAC: https://www.oac.org/sports/sball/2023-24/releases/Preseason_Poll_2024
AMCC: https://www.amccsports.org/sports/sball/2023-24/releases/Coaches_Preseason_Poll
Atlantic-ish Pre-Season Polls:
Atlantic East:
https://atlanticeast.com/news/2024/2/14/marywood-earns-the-top-spot-in-the-softball=preseason-poll.aspx
Centennial: https://centennial.org/news/2024/2/6/softball-preseason-poll.aspx
MAC-Commonwealth:
https://gomacsports.com/news/2024/1/21/york-college-named-favorite-in-mac-commonwealth-softball-coaches-preseason-poll.aspx
New Jersey/New York area softball polls:
NJAC: Rowan is the preseason favorite here.
MAC-Freedom:
https://gomacsports.com/news/2024/1/21/lebanon-valley-named-favorite-in-mac-freedom-softball-coaches-preseason-poll.aspx
SUNYAC: https://www.sunyacsports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/releases/20240124ffljuw
New England area Conference Polls:
CCC: https://cccathletics.com/news/2024/2/7/endicott-picked-to-win-in-softball-preseason-poll.aspx
Little East: https://littleeast.com/news/2024/2/8/eastern-connecticut-named-favorite-in-2024-lec-preseason-softball-coaches-poll.aspx
MASCAC: https://www.mascac.com/sports/sball/2023-24/releases/SB_Preseason
NEWMAC: https://newmacsports.com/news/2024/2/15/general-defending-champs-mit-top-2024-newmac-softball-preseason-coaches-poll.aspx
News on a Huntingdon pitcher making an awesome collegiate opening day debut:
https://www.huntingdonhawks.com/sports/sball/2023-24/releases/2024/0209zlyy2s
(Better late than never--).
SCIAC Pre Season
https://thesciac.org/news/2024/2/8/bulldogs-picked-for-outright-title-in-softball-preseason-poll.aspx
Midwest Conference Pre-Season Poll:
https://midwestconference.org/news/2024/2/21/general-pioneers-projected-first-in-mwc-softball-preseason-coaches-poll.aspx
NCAC:
https://northcoast.org/news/2024/2/21/single-point-separates-depauw-hiram-atop-softball-preseason-poll.aspx
NACC Pre-Season Poll:
https://naccsports.org/news/2024/2/21/concordia-wisconsin-given-edge-in-2024-nacc-softball-race.aspx
PAC:
https://pacathletics.org/news/2024/2/21/2024-pac-preseason-softball-poll.aspx
Landmark:
https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/cLZ7MeNK4rxj8
(need to scroll down for the poll)
Liberty League:
https://libertyleagueathletics.com/news/2024/2/22/rpi-selected-unanimous-preseason-favorite-in-2024-liberty-league-softball-aspx
United East (Volt Division):
https://gounitedeast.com/news/2024/2/27/softball-2024-season-preview-volt-division-aspx
Good luck to the Central College Dutch in Georgia this weekend. Hopefully the rain clears and they get some good games in. Off to a 3-0 start.
#3 Berry and #6 Moravian will be great early season gauge games for the Dutch.
Several more pre-season polls:
Skyline Conference:
https://skylineconference.org/news/2024/2/28/manhattanville-softball-unanimous-choice-to-repeat-in-preseason-coaches-poll.aspx
CUNYAC: John Jay is picked as favorite here.
North Atlantic:
https://nacathletics.com/news/2024/2/28/husson-and-suny-poly-claim-top-spots-in-nac-softball-preseason-poll.aspx
GNAC:
https://www.thegnac.com/sports/sball/2023-24/releases/2024SOFTPreseasonPoll
Some thoughts on the NFCA Leadoff Classic...
Rain threw off the schedule, but many teams still got 5 of their 6 games in - with extra games scheduled on Thursday evening in anticipation of a lost day to Friday's rain. The other thing that threw off the schedule - negating several games between top 25 teams - was Texas Lutheran dropping out because of the "weather forecast" (though Chapman managed to travel from California and Linfield from Oregon, along with Moravian, Concordia, Illinois Wesleyan, Wartburg, Depauw, etc...).
#16 East Texas Baptist was undefeated - notably taking out #13 CWRU 4-1, #3 Berry 13-5 and #8 CNU 3-1. CNU went on to defeat defending national champion Trine - 4-3 - while CWRU beat #9 Virginia Wesleyan 4-2.
While ETBU lost their two top pitchers from last season, they've picked up two JUCO transfers whose pitching might have put them into the national championship conversation.
Lots of great games were played out in Georgia. It's a real head-scratcher as to why #15 Texas Lutheran decided to stay home at the last second - especially since they will not play a game outside of Texas the rest of the regular season - and since they do not play East Texas Baptist - they likely will not play a top 25 team the entire season.
NFCA Leadoff Classic results: https://nfca.org/diii-leadoff-classic-tournament-central
"Lots of great games were played out in Georgia. It's a real head-scratcher as to why #15 Texas Lutheran decided to stay home at the last second - especially since they will not play a game outside of Texas the rest of the regular season - and since they do not play East Texas Baptist - they likely will not play a top 25 team the entire season."
TLU could now pick up some games since they have a 6 game hole in their allotted 40 games. Not sure who they would find to play but they could find some games. I doubt ETBU and them would hook up given they will more than likely be regional or super regional opponents.
Regarding not playing a top 25 team, in 2016 St. John Fisher never played a ranked team until they got to the National Championship tournament. I believe they finished 3rd at the tournament and finished ranked #2.
Week 1 NFCA Honors are here:
https://nfca.org/divnews/ncaa3/division-iii-player-pitcher-of-the-week-3-5-24
Week 2 NFCA Honors are up:
https://nfca.org/divnews/ncaa3/division-iii-player-pitcher-of-the-week-3-12-24
Week 3 NFCA Honors are now up:
https://nfca.org/divnews/ncaa3/division-iii-player-pitcher-of-the-week-3-19-24
Week 4 NFCA Honors are now up:
https://nfca.org/divnews/ncaa3/division-iii-player-pitcher-of-the-week-3-26-24
NFCA Week 5 Honors are up:
https://nfca.org/divnews/ncaa3/division-iii-player-pitcher-of-the-week-4-2-24
NFCA Week 6 Honors are up: (Better late than never).
https://nfca.org/divnews/ncaa3/division-iii-player-pitcher-of-the-week-4-9-24
NFCA Week 7 Honors here:
https://www.nfca.org/divnews/ncaa3/division-iii-player-pitcher-of-the-week-4-16-24
NFCA Week 8 Honors here:
https://www.nfca.org/divnews/ncaa3/division-iii-player-pitcher-of-the-week-4-23-24
NFCA Week 9 Honors are up:
https://www.nfca.org/divnews/ncaa3/division-iii-player-pitcher-of-the-week-4-30-24
NFCA Week 10 Honors are now up.
https://nfca.org/divnews/ncaa3/division-iii-player-pitcher-of-the-week