Softball

Cardinals Begin 2012 at No. 4 in NFCA Coaches Poll

Posted: Feb 01, 2012

Courtesy of the NFCA

STARKVILLE, Miss. – UC San Diego will begin its defense of its 2011 national title as the No. 1 team in the land, according to the 2012 NFCA Division II Preseason Poll released by the Association on Wednesday.

The Tritons (45-13) received all 16 first-place votes and were followed in the poll by last year's national runner-up Alabama-Huntsville (48-6-1) in second.

Perennial power North Georgia (53-12) was picked third, while Saginaw Valley (42-18) and West Texas A&M (50-17) rounded out the top five in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Arkansas-Monticello (46-16) had the biggest gain from the final 2011 poll, jumping 12 spots from 24^th to 12^th, while Cal State Chico followed behind with a 10 spot jump, moving from the "receiving votes" category to 15^th.

Three other teams were new to the poll from the final 2011 edition, with Armstrong Atlantic, Missouri Western State and Colorado Mines, all moving into the rankings. Armstrong made its debut at No. 21, while Missouri Western and Colorado Mines followed at 23^rd and 24^th, respectively.

Teams that did not make the transition from last year's final poll to the first poll of this season were No. 14 West Alabama, No. 15 Cal State Bernardino, No, 17 Nebraska Omaha and No. 22 Emporia State. Nebraska Omaha is no longer eligible for the NFCA Division II Top 25 poll, having moved to Division I in the off-season.

The NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches, two representing each of the eight NCAA regions. Final 2011 records are shown, first-place votes are in parentheses.

Rank	Team	Final 2011 Record	Totals	Final 2011 Poll
1	UC San Diego (16)	45-13	400	1
2	Ala. Huntsville	48-6-1	382	2
3	North Georgia	53-12	366	4
4	Saginaw Valley	42-18	313	6
5	West Texas A&M	50-17	303	8
6	Valdosta St.	41-11	282	12
7	Indiana (PA)	38-8	267	7
8	Augustana (SD)	50-11	262	13
9	Lenoir-Rhyne	45-10	255	10
10	C.W. Post	41-16	234	9
11	Rollins	45-4	223	16
12	Ark.-Monticello	46-16	190	24
13	Minn. St. Mankato	54-16	186	5
14	Bloomsburg	33-9	181	11
15	Cal State Chico	31-19	161	RV
16	Angelo St.	45-14	159	21
17	Hawai'i Pacific	38-12	148	19
18	Grand Valley St.	41-16	146	18
19	Tampa	39-9	128	23
20	Midwestern St.	54-14	124	3
21	Armstrong Atl.	31-14	80	NR
22	WV Wesleyan	48-8	74	20
23	Mo. Western St.	40-15	60	RV
24	Colorado Mines	36-24	58	NR
25	Merrimack	31-23	52	25

Dropped Out: No. 14 West Alabama, No. 15 Cal St. San Bernardino, No. 17 Nebraska Omaha*, No. 22 Emporia State

Others Receiving Votes: Indianapolis 40, Flagler 30, Cal St. San Bernardino 19, Dowling 19, Missouri Southern St. 18, Sonoma St. 14, Kutztown 7, Lewis 5, Emporia St. 4, St. Mary's (TX) 4, Barry 3, Winona St. 2, Molloy 1

*Nebraska Omaha has moved to Division I, making them ineligible for this poll.