Christopher Newport Softball Ranked Tenth in National Pre-Season Poll from Coaches Association

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University is ranked tenth in the nation in the pre-season poll from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). The NFCA/GoRout Division III Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday. Trine University, which captured its second national championship in three seasons last year, opens 2026 as the unanimous number one team in the country.

The Commonwealth of Virginia is well represented in the poll, as Virginia Wesleyan University is ranked second, and Randolph-Macon College is slotted seventh. Fellow Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference member Salisbury University is ranked 18th in the poll.

The CNU softball squad is coming off a 37-6 season last spring that saw them advance to the NCAA Tournament for the 18th consecutive season. Keith Parr is heading into his 23rd year leading the captains, and his lineup will likely include three returning starters (All-American and C2C first team centerfielder Candace Slaw, C2C Rookie of the Year second baseman Cora Thomas, and C2C first team catcher Natalie Quinlan). CNU will also look to a pair of returners in the pitching circle, Hailey Butler and Haylee Callahan, to lead the way in 2026.

Christopher Newport is scheduled to open the 2026 campaign on Saturday, February 14th, with a doubleheader at Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C. CNU's home opener is set for Saturday, February 28th, vs. Moravian University at Captains Park, with the first game of two scheduled for a 12 noon first pitch.

The NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll is selected by 10 NCAA Division III head coaches representing the 10 NCAA regions. Final 2025 records are listed, with first-place votes in parentheses.

NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll – Feb. 3, 2026

Rank	Team	Points	Final 2025 Record
1	Trine (10)	250	46-5
2	Virginia Wesleyan	240	49-6-1
3	Linfield	230	45-7
4	Redlands	220	40-11
5	Saint Mary's (Minn.)	210	44-7
6	Rowan	200	49-4
7	Randolph-Macon	190	42-14
8	Texas Lutheran	180	44-5
9	East Texas Baptist	170	43-5
10	Christopher Newport	160	37-6
11	Wisconsin-Whitewater	150	39-8
12	Moravian	140	40-9
13	Wisconsin-Stevens Point	130	31-15
14	Belhaven	120	32-9
15	Emory	110	33-14
16	Huntingdon	100	38-7
17	Wisconsin-Oshkosh	90	39-8
18	Salisbury	80	36-8-1
19	St. Thomas (Texas)	70	34-12
20	Illinois Wesleyan	60	37-9
21	Simpson	50	34-9
22	Williams	40	27-14
23	Chapman	30	33-11
24	WashU	20	34-7
25	Swarthmore	5	33-12