KANSAS CITY, MO. (March 22, 2023) – Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) softball has now reached No. 2 in the second edition of the 2023 NAIA Softball Coaches' Top 25 Poll released today. This marks the second highest a team at OLLU has been ranked in school history. The women's basketball team reached the top ranking during the 2015-2016 season.

The Saints jumped from No. 7 on March 8 and received two first-place votes. Top-ranked Oregon Tech is 20-5 and received 12 first-place votes. No. 3-ranked Cumberlands received four first-place votes, while Oklahoma City received one vote.

In the preseason poll, the team was ranked 15^th. They had debuted at No. 25 earlier in 2022. The Saints had received votes since the first season of competition in 2010. Their most votes were 21 during that first year. In 2012, the Saints received 20 votes, and in 2013, the most votes they received was 44. In the following year, the Saints received 57 votes in 2014, and in 2015, the most votes the Saints received was 88. In 2016, the team received 10 votes. The last time the Saints received votes was in 2018, with 80 votes.

The Saints are currently on a 15-game winning streak, outscoring their opponents 195-68 and are 24-4 on the season and 10-0 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC).  

RRAC's Texas A&M University – Texarkana (TAMUT) joins OLLU in the poll and drops from No. 4 to No. 7. The Eagles suffered their first losses of the season to LSU-Alexandria 2-4 and the University of the Southwest 2-5. TAMUT is now 6-2 in conference and 21-2 overall.

Now atop the conference poll is OLLU, followed by TAMUT, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, Louisiana Christian University, the University of Houston-Victoria, Jarvis Christian University, LSU-Alexandria, Xavier University of Louisiana, the University of the Southwest, Texas College and Huston-Tillotson University.   

Poll Methodology

• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and the Continental Athletic Conference (Independents).
• 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.

2023 NAIA Softball Coaches' Top 25 Poll Two (March 22, 2023)

Dropped from the Top 25: Tennessee Wesleyan

Others Receiving Votes: Oklahoma Wesleyan 100, Jessup (Calif.) 66, Tennessee Wesleyan 61, Madonna (Mich.) 57, Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) 26, Hope International (Calif.) 23, Midland (Neb.) 13, St. Thomas (Fla.) 11, Indiana Tech 11, Missouri Baptist 7, St. Francis (Ill.) 5, Reinhardt (Ga.) 3.