LOUISVILLE, KY — Virginia Wesleyan unleashed an offensive assault on its opponents this past week to solidify its standing as the No. 1 team in the NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll.
The (27-3-1) Marlins outscored their six opponents 71-12 to extend their win streak to 10 games. They scored 10 or more runs in every contest, including overwhelming Eastern Mennonite, 27-1, in a doubleheader sweep on Tuesday.
Defending national champion Texas Lutheran (25-4) captured two games last week, and have now won 17 straight, and 21 of its last 22, to stay firmly in the second position, while Eastern Connecticut State (20-0) continued its climb up the rankings, gaining another two places this week, to round out the top three. The Warriors have now won 33 of their last 35 games, and haven't lost since May 26, 2019, when they fell 3-2 in an eight-inning heartbreaker to eventual national runner-up Emory at the NCAA Championship finals in Tyler, Texas.
Elsewhere, St. Scholastica (23-3) broke into the Top 25 this week, after receiving votes previously, and Rowan (19-5), Alvernia (17-5), St. Olaf (13-3), Concordia (Wis.) (22-4) and Aurora (25-3) all also made the cut. Rochester (19-6), Alfred (18-5) and Southern Maine (22-1-1) all received votes for the first time in 2021.
The NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll is selected by eight NCAA Division III head coaches representing the eight NCAA regions. Current records are listed, with first-place votes in parentheses. In 2021, schools that are not competing will not be eligible for the poll.
NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll – April 21, 2021
| Rank |
Team |
2021 Record |
Points |
Previous |
| 1 |
Virginia Wesleyan (8) |
27-3-1 |
200 |
1 |
| 2 |
Texas Lutheran |
25-4 |
192 |
2 |
| 3 |
Eastern Connecticut State |
20-0 |
184 |
5 |
| 4 |
East Texas Baptist |
22-3 |
176 |
4 |
| 5 |
Linfield |
28-4 |
168 |
3 |
| 6 |
Birmingham-Southern |
25-4 |
160 |
6 |
| 7 |
DePauw |
21-2 |
152 |
9 |
| 8 |
Belhaven |
25-7 |
144 |
7 |
| 9 |
Emory & Henry |
21-3 |
136 |
17 |
| T10 |
Berry |
23-6 |
128 |
15 |
|
Moravian |
12-0 |
128 |
10 |
| 12 |
Salisbury |
19-7 |
109 |
8 |
| 13 |
St. John Fisher |
16-2 |
104 |
12 |
| 14 |
Christopher Newport |
22-10 |
83 |
11 |
| 15 |
Mount Union |
23-5 |
77 |
22 |
| 16 |
Wartburg |
21-6 |
73 |
14 |
| T17 |
Milwaukee School of Engineering |
23-2 |
61 |
13 |
|
Randolph-Macon |
14-7-1 |
61 |
19 |
| T19 |
St. Scholastica |
23-3 |
44 |
RV |
|
The College of New Jersey |
11-3 |
44 |
18 |
| 21 |
Rowan |
19-5 |
41 |
NR |
| T22 |
Alvernia |
17-5 |
24 |
NR |
|
St. Olaf |
13-3 |
24 |
NR |
| 24 |
Concordia (Wis.) |
22-4 |
20 |
NR |
| T25 |
Aurora |
25-3 |
14 |
NR |
|
Saint Benedict |
17-5 |
14 |
16 |
Others receiving votes: Cortland 10, Transylvania 8, Coe 7, Rochester 6, Kean 5, Misericordia 5, Alfred 3, Mount St. Joseph 2, Southern Maine 1.
Dropped out: Framingham State, Hope, Millikin and Stevenson.
Programs that do not participate during the 2021 season will not be eligible for the poll.
