On the heels of the program’s first ever 50 win season, the Northwestern College softball team is ranked 11th in the NAIA pre-season poll released on Wednesday. Last spring, the Raiders went 50-7 and advanced to the championship game of their NAIA Opening Round bracket. Northwestern finished last season at number 9 which is its highest ever ranking.
Midland is the only other GPAC school in the ratings coming in at 15.
Northwestern opens the season January 31st against Sioux Falls and Culver-Stockton at the American State Bank Sports Complex in Sioux Center.
| RANK | INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] | 2024 Record | Final Points |
| 1 | Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) [15] | 57-3 | 525 |
| 2 | Science and Arts (Okla.) [2] | 49-9 | 504 |
| 3 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 49-9 | 475 |
| 4 | Southern Oregon [2] | 41-19 | 473 |
| 5 | Oregon Tech | 49-12 | 444 |
| 6 | Madonna (Mich.) | 54-6 | 431 |
| 7 | Central Methodist (Mo.) | 52-7 | 427 |
| 8 | Oklahoma City | 52-5 | 413 |
| 9 | Georgia Gwinnett | 32-17 | 412 |
| 10 | Marian (Ind.) | 46-12 | 389 |
| 11 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 50-7 | 370 |
| 12 | Indiana Wesleyan (Ind.) | 42-15 | 328 |
| 13 | Eastern Oregon | 39-10 | 300 |
| 14 | William Carey (Miss.) | 41-14 | 298 |
| 15 | Midland (Neb.) | 44-12 | 283 |
| 16 | College of Idaho | 32-19 | 275 |
| 17 | Hope International (Calif.) | 37-17 | 251 |
| 18 | Benedictine (Kan.) | 40-16 | 240 |
| 19 | St. Thomas (Fla.) | 40-12 | 206 |
| 20 | Mobile (Ala.) | 30-16 | 184 |
| 21 | LSU Alexandria (La.) | 38-14 | 143 |
| 22 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 40-19 | 118 |
| 23 | Middle Georgia State | 33-16 | 109 |
| 24 | Baker (Kan.) | 34-16 | 107 |
| 25 | Coastal Georgia (Ga.) | 39-14 | 101 |
Receiving Votes: Saint Xavier (Ill.) 78, Evangel (Mo.) 77, Houston-Victoria (Texas) 54, Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 52, Missouri Baptist 46, Tennessee Wesleyan 42, Reinhardt (Ga.) 37, Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) 37, Grand View (Iowa) 31, Rio Grande (Ohio) 30, Stillman (Ala.) 15, Mid-America Christian (Kan.) 14, Bellevue (Neb.) 10, Shawnee State (Ohio) 5, Campbellsville (Ky.) 5, Johnson (Tenn.) 3, St. Francis (Ill.) 3
