Coming off a strong NCAA Division III tournament run, the Central College softball team soared to No. 14 in the season-ending NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll.

The ranking is the 2024 high-water mark for the Dutch (33-13), who climbed 11 spots after sharing the No. 25 position heading into the tournament. Central captured its 14th conference championship, winning the American Rivers Conference with a 13-3 mark, then snared its first Division III regional title since 2015 while making a record 32nd tournament appearance. As one of the 16 teams still in the field, Central traveled to Oregon for the super regional, knocking off then-No. 1 Linfield University (Ore) in a 4-2 11-inning stunner before dropping the next two contests.

Linfield finished No. 3 in the poll behind national champion East Texas Baptist University, which rallied past Belhaven University (Miss.) (47-10) in the championship. American Rivers foe Coe College (34-11) jumped to No. 16 in the rankings.