KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Following a year in which the Red Raiders finished the year ranked No. 12 and won a program-record 47 games, the Northwestern softball team received its highest National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) preseason coaches’ poll ranking in program history, coming in at No. 15, the national office announced this morning.
Northwestern is ranked in the preseason poll for the first time since 2003, when they were No. 17.
The Raiders are coming off a historic, record-setting season, finishing the year ranked No. 12, also earning the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) regular season title. In the NAIA Opening Round, Northwestern was the No. 2 seed in the Klamath Falls bracket, hosted by Oregon Tech, where they went 1-2.
In 2023, Northwestern ended the season with their most wins in program history (47), had the most strikeouts for a Red Raider pitching staff (326), and set the record for most consecutive wins to start a season (16).
Northwestern is the second highest rated team from the GPAC as Midland is ranked No. 10. The Warriors advanced to last season’s NAIA World Series.
| RANK | LAST TIME | SCHOOL [FIRST PLACE VOTES] | RECORD | POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Oregon Tech [19] | 54-10 | 529 |
| 2 | 4 | Southern Oregon | 50-12 | 506 |
| 3 | 3 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 49-5-1 | 491 |
| 4 | 8 | Georgia Gwinnett | 45-12 | 452 |
| 5 | 9 | Marian (Ind.) | 52-9 | 450 |
| 6 | 10 | Science & Arts (Okla.) | 42-15 | 449 |
| 7 | 2 | Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) | 51-8 | 431 |
| 8 | 15 | Central Methodist (Mo.) | 42-12 | 403 |
| 9 | 5 | Oklahoma City | 48-11 | 389 |
| 10 | RV | Midland (Neb.) | 41-15 | 377 |
| 11 | 7 | Baker (Kan.) | 47-12 | 354 |
| 12 | 13 | Mobile (Ala.) | 40-15 | 347 |
| 13 | 6 | College of Idaho | 49-10 | 344 |
| 14 | 16 | Indiana Wesleyan | 40-15 | 301 |
| 15 | 12 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 47-10 | 280 |
| 16 | 16 | Middle Georgia State | 43-14 | 263 |
| 17 | 14 | Ottawa (Kan.) | 42-11 | 261 |
| 18 | 18 | Coastal Georgia | 42-12 | 241 |
| 19 | 23 | Hope International (Calif.) | 41-16 | 183 |
| 20 | 21 | Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) | 27-15 | 178 |
| 21 | RV | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 37-13 | 161 |
| 22 | 20 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 33-18 | 159 |
| 23 | 22 | William Carey (Miss.) | 39-14 | 157 |
| 24 | NR | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | 37-14 | 113 |
| 24 | 24 | Eastern Oregon | 33-19 | 113 |
Receiving Votes: Campbellsville (Ky.) 96, Bellevue (Neb.) 60, Truett McConnell (Ga.) 60, Grand View (Iowa) 52, Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) 43, Concordia (Mich.) 41, Friends (Kan.) 36, Indiana Southeast 22, Madonna (Mich.) 21, Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 21, Arizona Christian 9, Indiana Tech 7, St. Francis (Ill.) 6, Mount Mercy (Iowa) 5
