National champion Bulldogs open 2020 as unanimous No. 1 in NFCA Top 25

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The Texas Lutheran Bulldogs, the 2019 champions of the NCAA Division III, open the new softball year as the unanimous No. 1 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 Coaches' Poll.

The Bulldogs (40-8 in 2019) won their first NCAA Division III title last May, going undefeated in five games at the NCAA championship finals in Tyler, Texas. TLU swept Emory (Ga.) in the best-of-three championship series in Tyler, Texas to claim TLU's first team national championship as a member of the NCAA DIII.

Emory (39-14) opens the year second in the rankings after finishing as the national runner-up. The Eagles suffered their only two losses at the finals site on the final day to TLU.

TLU and Emory will meet in the 2020 regular season. The Bulldogs and Eagles will play on March 10 in Tucson, Ariz.

The six other NCAA championship finals teams all made the top 10, with third-place national finishers Eastern Connecticut State (36-13) and Trine (37-8) ranked third and fourth, fifth-place finishers Williams (39-7) and Illinois Wesleyan (39-10) at fifth and sixth, and seventh-place finishers St. Thomas (43-7) and Randolph-Macon (30-17) at ninth and 10th, respectively.

TLU defeated Williams, Eastern Connecticut, and Trine before facing Emory in the championship finals.

Virginia Wesleyan (42-6) and Christopher Newport (37-9) were the other two teams in the top 10 to begin the year.

Linfield (39-8-1) and Lynchburg (37-15), who lost to the two national finalists in the NCAA super regionals, are 11th and 12th, respectively. TLU and Linfield played a best-of-3 series in McMinnville, Ore. with TLU winning the series in three games.

In addition to the matchup with No. 2 Emory, TLU has games in 2020 against No. 22 Mary Hardin-Baylor (doubleheader Feb. 18 in Seguin), No. 6 Illinois Wesleyan (single game March 6 in Tucson), No. 8 Christopher Newport (single game March 7 in Tucson), and No. 11 Linfield (single game March 8 in Tucson).

The NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll is selected by eight NCAA Division III head coaches representing the eight NCAA regions. Final 2019 records are listed, with first-place votes in parentheses.

TLU already is 2-0 on the 2020 season after 4-0 and 7-1 victories Monday against NAIA opponent Huston-Tillotson.

The Bulldogs travel to Austin on Saturday for a road doubleheader with Concordia Texas. That doubleheader is set for a 2 p.m. start at Concordia's Tornado Softball Field.

NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll – Feb. 5, 2020