Softball ranked No. 15 in National Fastpitch Coaches Association preseason poll
ADA — The Ohio Northern softball team, under third-year head coach Kim Burke, is ranked No. 15 in the 2013 preseason NCAA Division III poll by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
The Polar Bears received 92 points in the poll.
ONU has now been nationally ranked in five consecutive seasons and finished the year ranked No. 11 in 2012.
Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) was unanimous No. 1 choice after winning the NCAA III Tournament title, receiving all eight first place votes and 200 points overall.
Montclair State (N.J.) was second with 185 points, Luther (Iowa) was third with 179 points and Tufts (Conn.) was ranked fourth with 177 points.
The Polar Bears won their fourth consecutive OAC Regular Season title and made their fourth consecutive NCAA III Tournamernt appearance in 2012, finishing with a 31-14 overall record and a 14-3 OAC mark.
NFCA Division III Coaches Poll - Preseason
January 30, 2013
| Rank | School | 2012 Record |
Total Points |
Last Year |
| 1. | Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) (8) | 45-11 | 200 | 1 |
| 2. | Montclair State (N.J.) | 44-9 | 185 | 3 |
| 3. | Luther (Iowa) | 41-9 | 179 | 5 |
| 4. | Tufts (Conn.) | 41-7 | 177 | 4 |
| 5. | Linfield (Ore.) | 46-7 | 162 | 2 |
| 6. | Roanoke (Va.) | 35-11 | 146 | 7 |
| 7. | Illinois Wesleyan | 39-8 | 144 | 10 |
| 8. | Christopher Newport (Va.) | 37-11 | 127 | 12 |
| 9. | Texas-Tyler | 39-9 | 122 | 6 |
| 10. | Eastern Connecticut State | 44-3 | 119 | 8 |
| 11. | Central (Iowa) | 36-10 | 116 | 9 |
| 12. | Plattsburgh State (N.Y.) | 35-11 | 109 | 17 |
| 13. | Trine (Ind.) | 40-10 | 108 | 18 |
| 14. | Rowan (N.J.) | 39-9 | 105 | 14 |
| 15. | Ohio Northern | 31-14 | 92 | 11 |
| 16. | Carthage (Wis.) | 37-10 | 64 | 21 |
| 17. | Moravian (Pa.) | 35-11 | 66 | 24 |
| 18. | Saint Thomas (Minn.) | 37-9 | 58 | 25 |
| 19. | Louisiana College | 28-15 | 56 | NR |
| 20. | Redlands (Calif.) |
32-13 | 54 | NR |
| 21. | Ithaca (N.Y.) | 32-14 | 34 | NR |
| 22. | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) | 30-15 | 28 | 19 |
| 23. | Emory (Ga.) | 34-5 | 27 | 13 |
| 24. | Cortland State (N.Y.) | 41-10 | 22 | 22 |
| 25. | Amherst (Mass.) | 35-11 | 21 | NR |
Others Receiving Votes: DePauw (17), Simpson (12), UW Whitewater (7), seven other schools received votes but appeared on only one ballot.