NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University is ranked 19th in the country in the pre-season national Top 25 poll released Tuesday morning by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).

The Captains, who were 28-14 last year, advanced to their 14th straight NCAA Tournament. The 2022 squad features 15 returning student-athletes, including All-American and former National Rookie of the Year Kaitlyn Hasty, now a senior. 

Christopher Newport hosts Louisburg College for two exhibition games on Sunday, February 20th, beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Captains Park. The regular season will begin for Keith Parr's squad on Saturday, February 26, when the Captains play Rowan University in the Grand Slam Triangle Classic in Raleigh, N.C., with first pitch slated for 12:30 p.m. 

The NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll is selected by ten NCAA Division III head coaches representing the ten NCAA regions. Final 2021 records are listed, with first-place votes in parentheses. The first weekly regular-season poll will be released on March 8.

NFCA Division III Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll – Feb. 8, 2022

Rank	Team	Points	2021 Final Record	2021 Final Ranking
1	DePauw (10)	250	40-5	3
2	Virginia Wesleyan	240	46-6-1	1
3	Texas Lutheran	230	36-6	2
4	East Texas Baptist	220	33-7	10
5	Birmingham-Southern	210	33-8	5
6	Eastern Connecticut State	200	32-4	17
7	Tufts	190	21-7	T8
8	Salisbury	180	25-9	14
9	Rochester	170	35-10	T8
10	The College of New Jersey	160	26-5	4
11	Milwaukee School of Engineering	150	35-10	16
12	Wisconsin-Oshkosh	140	29-13	6
13	Mount St. Joseph	130	33-10	12
14	Piedmont	120	25-13	18
15	St. John Fisher	110	31-7	11
16	Trine	100	30-8	21
17	Berry	90	25-10	15
18	Belhaven	80	31-12	19
19	Christopher Newport	70	28-14	NR
20	Linfield	60	38-9	RV
21	Millikin	38	31-13	NR
22	Brandeis	26	14-3	RV
23	Case Western Reserve	22	27-9	NR
24	Gettysburg	17	13-5	RV
25	Alfred	12	32-11	24