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BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University softball team enters the 2022 season with high expectations, first selected as the preseason favorites to claim the Great Northwest Athletic Conference title and now receiving votes in the NFCA Preseason NCAA II Coaches Poll.
The Vikings are the top team receiving votes in the preseason poll, narrowly missing a spot in the national top 25. WWU totaled 20 points, with No. 25 Central Missouri just ahead of the Vikings with 22 points.
WWU edged out Northwest Nazarene for the top spot in the GNAC preseason poll receiving four of seven first-place votes and 46 total points to finish just ahead of NNU (44 votes, 3 first-place). NNU also gained national acclaim receiving six votes in the NFCA poll.
Western opens its 30th season in program history next week with five games at the Concordia Kickoff Classic in Irvine, California. After 10 road games to open the 2022 season, WWU will host its first home game at Viking Field on February 19 against the University of Puget Sound in a doubleheader starting at 11 am. The complete 2022 WWU Softball schedule can be viewed online at
wwuvikings.com/SB_Schedule.
NFCA PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Here is a complete look at the 2022 NFCA Preseason Coaches Poll:
| Rk |
School (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
'21 Final Record |
'21 Final Ranking |
| 1 |
UT Tyler (8) |
386 |
33-7 |
17 |
| 2 |
Augustana (5) |
371 |
49-8 |
3 |
| 3 |
Biola (3) |
365 |
26-16 |
2 |
| 4 |
West Texas A&M |
360 |
43-12 |
1 |
| 5 |
North Georgia |
348 |
43-8 |
4 |
| 6 |
Grand Valley State |
318 |
45-10 |
5 |
| 7 |
Valdosta State |
310 |
38-11 |
6 |
| 8 |
Saint Anselm |
266 |
33-7 |
7 |
| 9 |
West Chester University |
248 |
34-16 |
8 |
| 10 |
Concordia Irvine |
240 |
34-13 |
12 |
| 11 |
Minnesota State |
230 |
40-10 |
13 |
| 12 |
Indianapolis |
223 |
46-8 |
11 |
| 13 |
Lincoln Memorial |
218 |
38-8 |
10 |
| 14 |
Auburn Montgomery |
196 |
40-7 |
21 |
| 15 |
Oklahoma Christian |
192 |
38-9 |
14 |
| 16 |
Southern Arkansas |
139 |
29-10 |
18 |
| 17 |
West Florida |
136 |
33-16 |
15 |
| 18 |
Angelo State |
131 |
33-14 |
RV |
| 19 |
Georgian Court |
130 |
38-6 |
19 |
| 20 |
Central Oklahoma |
77 |
36-14 |
22 |
| 21 |
Colorado Mesa |
75 |
39-5 |
23 |
| 22 |
Texas A&M-Commerce |
58 |
33-18 |
9 |
| 23 |
UAH |
44 |
32-14 |
25 |
| 24 |
West Liberty |
28 |
37-17 |
RV |
| 25 |
Central Missouri |
22 |
38-14 |
RV |
Receiving Votes: Western Washington (20), Anderson (19), Texas A&M-Kingsville (15),
Tampa (12), Rollins (7), Northwest Nazarene (6), Rogers State (6), Kutztown, (3), Adelphi (1) |
FOLLOW THE VIKINGS
Up-to-date season information, including season statistics, bios, roster, schedule and historical information can be viewed online at
WWUVikings.com/Softball. WWU Softball also has a strong social media presence on
Instagram,
Twitter and
Facebook, so give them a follow!
ABOUT WWU SOFTBALL
The WWU softball program enters its 30th season in 2022. WWU advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships for the fifth time in program history in 2021 after winning the GNAC Tournament. WWU has posted a winning record 18 times during the 29-year history of the program, which won the 1998 NAIA National Championship in only its sixth season to record the school's first ever team national title. Over the last eight seasons (since 2014), the Vikings are 195-148 and have won two of the last four GNAC Tournament titles (2017 & 2019). Head coach
Sheryl Gilmore is in her third season at the helm of the program in 2020 after leading WWU to 27 wins, tied for the 10
th-most in program history, in her first campaign in 2019 and has an overall 60-44 record (.577).
