LOUISVILLE, Ky. – For the eighth week in a row, the Trine University softball team has been ranked second in the nation according to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) GoRout Division III Coaches Poll. They are also second in the crucial NCAA National Power Index (NPI) Rankings.
The Thunder retained 240 points to hold their spot in the NFCA Poll. Undefeated Virginia Wesleyan University, who finished the regular season 40-0, continues their hold as the undisputed top team in the country. The rest of the top five was completely different this week. Texas Lutheran University moved into the third spot while Washington (Mo.) University moved to fourth and University of Redlands took fifth.
The newest edition of the NCAA NPI Rankings has Trine still in second. The NPI is used to determine seeding and at-large selections to the upcoming NCAA Division III Softball Championship tournament. There are 22 at-large selections to the tournament and in 2025 the last team selected was 45th in the final NPI.
Last week saw the Thunder go 3-1 in a pair of Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) doubleheaders. They convincingly sweep The University of Olivet in a pair of run-rule victories, first 22-2 and then 16-1. On Saturday they split a home series with Calvin University, dropping the first game 13-4 before winning 10-2.
The team is currently 26-2 overall and 11-1 in MIAA play. Trine is up two games in the conference standings with Calvin, Hope College and Alma College all currently tied in second with three losses. The Thunder will next take the field when they travel to face the Scots on Thursday, April 30. That doubleheader is set to start at 3 p.m.
