Softball ranked No. 24 in final regular season National Fastpitch Coaches Association Poll
ADA — The Ohio Northern softball team moved up one spot to No. 24 in the 11th and final regular season National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III poll on Wednesday.
The Polar Bears (24-9 overall, 14-3 Ohio Athletic Conference) received 18 points, which is two less than the 20 points it received when ranked No. 25 last week.
ONU has now been nationally ranked in four consecutive seasons.
Emory (Ga.) remained No. 1 with 199 points and seven first place votes. Eastern Connecticut State is second with 190 points and one first place vote and Linfield (Ore.) is No. 3 with 182 points.
The Polar Bears won their fourth consecutive OAC Regular Season title and will host the 2012 OAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed on Friday and Saturday at the ONU Softball Field.
NFCA Division III Coaches Poll - #11
May 2, 2012
| Rank | School | Record | Points | Previous |
| 1. | Emory (Ga.) (7) | 33-3 | 199 | 1 |
| 2. | Eastern Connecticut State (1) | 36-1 | 190 | 2 |
| 3. | Linfield (Ore.) | 38-5 | 182 | 3 |
| 4. | Luther (Iowa) | 34-4 | 175 | 4 |
| 5. | Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) |
36-11 | 174 | 5 |
| 6. | Central (Iowa) | 31-7 | 157 | 6 |
| 7. | Texas-Tyler | 32-7 | 141 | 9 |
| 8. | Illinois Wesleyan | 31-6 | 138 | 7 |
| 9. | Tufts (Conn.) | 32-4 | 130 | 8 |
| 10. | Christopher Newport (Va.) | 34-9 | 1423 | 10 |
| 11. | Cortland State (N.Y.) | 34-6 | 114 | 11 |
| 12. | Montclair State (N.J.) | 35-5 | 104 | 12 |
| 13. | Trine (Ind.) | 34-6 | 98 | 15 |
| 14. | Saint Thomas (Minn.) | 32-6 | 978 | 16 |
| 15. | Redlands (Calif.) | 30-11 | 76 | 13 |
| 16. | Rowan (N.J.) | 32-7 | 75 | 17 |
| 17. | Salisbury (Md.) | 35-5 | 68 | 18 |
| 18. | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) | 28-11 | 59 | 22 |
| 19. | Coe (Iowa) | 31-9 | 56 | 20 |
| 20. | Carthage (Wis.) | 32-6 | 50 | 19 |
| 21. | Wisconsin-Whitewater | 29-9 | 49 | 14 |
| 22. | Wisconsin-Eau Claire | 30-10 | 32 | NR |
| 23. | William Patterson (N.J.) | 30-10 | 28 | 21 |
| 24. | Ohio Northern | 24-9 | 18 | 25 |
| 25. | Amherst (Mass.) | 33-2 | 13 | 24 |
Others Receiving Votes: Plattsburgh State (12); Roanoke (11); Messiah (8); Washington-St. Louis (8); three others received votes but appeared on only one ballot.