LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Trine University softball team will begin their defense of the 2025 NCAA Division III National Championship as the top ranked team in the country according to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA)/GoRout Division III Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll.
The Thunder were the unanimous choice for the top spot in the poll, mirroring the final poll form 2025. They received 250 points. Last year's national runners-up from Virginia Wesleyan University were second with 240 points and Linfield university came in third with 230 points. All eight teams that reached the final site of the NCAA tournament last season remain in the top eight spots of the poll.
Trine secured their second national championship with a sweep of the Marlins in the final series, winning 8-1 in game one and 3-1 in game two. The Thunder have reached the finals three times in the last four seasons, securing the two championships and a runner-up finish in 2022.
The team finished 2025 with a 46-5 record, tying the program record for most wins, but doing it with one less loss than the 2023 team who won the program's first National Championship. It was the fifth time the team has reached the 40 wins mark for a season.
Head coach Donnie Danklefsen and assistants Dennis Smith and Zech Huston were named the 2025 NFCA Division III Coaching Staff of the Year, the second time that a Danklefsen led staff has earned the honor. This season will be Danklefsen's 22nd at the helm, the only coach during Trine's NCAA Division III History. He enters the season with a 684-206 overall record and a .769 winning percentage.
Trine will open the 2026 season when they travel to Clermont, Fla. for the start of their spring break trip. They will compete at The Spring Games beginning with a contest against John Jay College on Saturday, February 28 at 1:30 p.m. They will face Bethany Lutheran College at 4:30 p.m. on the same day.
