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By Leanza Pieroni
Division III softball is officially back, and the first NFCA/GoRout Top 25 of 2026 sets the tone for what looks like another loaded national race. The preseason No. 1 spot belongs to Trine, fresh off its 2025 NCAA Division III national championship run and opening the year as the unanimous choice atop the poll.
FloCollege fans can get an early-season look at Trine as they face Bethany Lutheran on February 28th at 3:30 PM CT.
Right behind Trine, Virginia Wesleyan checks in at No. 2, and the Marlins wasted no time validating that ranking once games began. VWU opened the 2026 campaign with a doubleheader sweep of N.C. Wesleyan, winning 10-0 in game one and 14-1 in game two. The opener featured a big day from Laci Campbell (2-for-2 with a double and home run, four RBI), while Hannah Hearl controlled the circle with seven strikeouts in four innings. It’s an early statement that the Marlins intend to be a title factor again.
At No. 3, Linfield remains a cornerstone of the West Coast conversation — and the Wildcats are already stacking preseason momentum. Linfield was picked as the 2026 Northwest Conference preseason favorite, earning five first-place votes after winning the 2025 NWC regular-season and tournament titles and finishing 25-3 in conference play.
If you’re looking for the potential marquee matchup of the weekend, Linfield’s history with Redlands (ranked No. 4) is worth bookmarking: Linfield leads the all-time series and won the most recent meeting 9-1 on May 31, 2025. The Wildcats travel to face the Bulldogs this Friday for a doubleheader starting at 12 PM PT.
Redlands begins 2026 with the kind of early volatility that makes opening weekends so fun. The Bulldogs split a season-opening doubleheader with George Fox, taking game one 10-2 (five innings) before dropping game two 10-5.
Meanwhile, Randolph-Macon (No. 7) hit the ground running with an opening-day sweep of Mary Washington — 8-0 and 3-2 — powered by seven total RBIs from Reagan Hill and six scoreless innings from Courtney Guthrie across the twinbill.
At No. 8, Texas Lutheran opened with a ranked-series win over No. 19 St. Thomas (Tex.), taking the series with 5-2 and 9-0 victories while splitting the doubleheader overall.
The rankings are out, the season is rolling, and the early results suggest the Top 25 will be anything but static.
NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll (Feb. 3, 2026)
Trine
Va. Wesleyan
Linfield
Redlands
Saint Mary’s (Minn.)
Rowan
Randolph-Macon
Texas Lutheran
East Texas Baptist
Christopher Newport
Wis.-Whitewater
Moravian
Wis.-Stevens Point
Belhaven
Emory
Huntingdon
Wis.-Oshkosh
Salisbury
St. Thomas Houston
Illinois Wesleyan
Simpson (Iowa)
Williams
Chapman
WashU
Swarthmore
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