The West Liberty University softball team just missed earning a Top 25 spot when the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) released its annual NCAA Division II preseason poll on Wednesday morning.
Nevertheless, veteran head coach Herb Minch and his defending Mountain East Conference champion Hilltoppers topped the list of teams also receiving votes from the nationwide ranking committee of NCAA Division II softball coaches.
Nearly two years have passed since the Black and Gold was ranked No. 1 in the final 2019 NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings following a Mountain East Conference North Division title and a four-game sweep of the 2019 MEC Tournament.
The Hilltoppers earned the right to host an Atlantic Regional pod at the WLU Softball Complex and settled for runner-up honors after falling to powerful Shepherd in the championship round.
Despite the cancellation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Minch welcomes back nearly everyone from that powerhouse 2019 squad that just missed setting a school record with 38 wins. That certainly factored into West Liberty receiving 18 votes in the NFCA Preseason Top 25 – just five votes shy of No. 25-ranked Grand Valley State (Mich.).
The Hilltoppers are scheduled to open the 2021 season at home on March 1 with a non-conference doubleheader against Salem (W.Va.) University. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at the WLU Softball Complex.
SOFTBALL
2021 NFCA Division II
Preseason Top 25
(January 27, 2021)
2020 2020
Team Pts W-L Rank
1 Southern Arkansas (16) 400 22-2 1
2 North Georgia 381 23-4 3
3 Augustana 358 16-3 4
4 UT-Tyler 354 17-3 5
5 Angelo State 318 19-6 7
6 Young Harris 314 19-3 6
7 Saint Leo 312 23-7 8
8 Rollins 280 21-3 9
9 Texas A&M-Commerce 260 16-7 10
10 Trevecca Nazarene 258 15-3 11
11 Concordia-Irvine 238 17-5 13
12 Valdosta State 196 18-5 15
13 Oklahoma Christian 179 21-5 16
14 Saint Anselm 168 16-4 12
15 Winona State 166 13-7 NR
16 Lenoir-Rhyne 164 20-4 21
17 Southern Indiana 141 15-4 19
18 Rogers State 136 21-8 17
19 Lubbock Christian 109 20-6 18
20 Alabama-Huntsville 101 15-8 25
21 Indianapolis 86 14-5 RV
22 Lincoln Memorial 83 16-5 14
23 West Chester 66 12-3 NR
24 Tampa 38 19-9 RV
25 Grand Valley State 23 13-3 RV
Also receiving votes: WEST LIBERTY 18, Minnesota State 18, Francis Marion 9, MSU-Denver 9, Biola 8, St. Cloud State 5, Central Oklahoma 2, Texas A&M-Kingsville 2.
