Riding the crest of a school-record 38-game winning streak, the Linfield softball team has risen to the No. 1 spot in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll.
 
The unbeaten Wildcats (38-0) had been firmly entrenched in among the top five teams in the NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll for the past six weeks, most recently occupying the No. 2 ranking behind top-ranked Salisbury (Md.).
 
Last weekend, Salisbury (34-3) suffered two defeats at the hands of then-No. 7 Christopher Newport (Va.), causing the Seagulls to slip to No. 4 in the rankings.
 
In the newly announced Top 25 Coaches Poll released Tuesday morning, Linfield climbed to No. 1, East Texas Baptist (35-2) elevated to No. 2 and Christopher Newport (28-5) took over the No. 3 spot.
 
The remainder of the top 10 rankings, in order:
4. Salisbury (34-3)
5. Trine (36-3)
6. Berry (41-4)
7. Case Western Reserve (32-6)
8. Virginia Wesleyan (33-7)
9. Texas Lutheran (31-3)
10. Belhaven (37-6)
 
The last time Linfield occupied the No. 1 ranking in the Top 25 Coaches Poll as the team headed into the postseason was 2012, a season which saw the 'Cats finish as the NCAA Division national runner-up. The Wildcats also held the No. 1 ranking for several weeks during the 2021 regular season as well.
 
Linfield is back in action today (May 7), facing the Willamette Bearcats at 5:30 p.m. at Del Smith Stadium. The Wildcats, now 26-0 in Northwest Conference play, hope to become the first NWC program since 1999 to complete an unblemished league schedule. Pacific Lutheran recorded unbeaten conference slates in 1999 (15-0) and 1996 (17-0).