Longtime San Diego State Coach Kathy Van Wyk has announced her retirement. Van Wyk is the all-time winningest coach in the Mountain West Conference and San Diego State history compiling a record of 805-555-1 in her 25 seasons with the Aztecs. SDSU has their last MWC Series of the year at home against Fresno State starting today.
Kelly Fired at Lindenwood
Liz Kelly has been fired as head coach at Lindenwood. Kelly spent five season seasons with the Lions compiling a 114-84-1 record, but never won an MIAA Championship or advanced to the NCAA Postseason.
CIU Punches Ticket To NCAA Postseason
Concordia Irvine punched their ticket to the NCAA Postseason on Thursday winning two games against Dominican and Hawaii Hilo. CUI went undefeated in the unique Automatic Qualifier Pod Series 4-0. The No. 11 ranked Eagles now advance to the NCAA West Regional which they will host at Eagles Field in Irvine.
Brown Resigns At Idaho State
Cristal Brown has resigned as head coach at Idaho State the institute announced. Brown steered the program for only two seasons compiling a 19-41 record.
15 Finalists Named For Freshman Of The Year
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced today the 15 finalist for the NFCA/Schutt Sports Division I National Freshman of the Year. The winner will be announced before the start of the 2021 NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
The 15 finalist list includes:
Valerie Cagle, Clemson University *
Jayda Coleman, University of Oklahoma
Matalasi Faapito, New Mexico State University *
Shaylon Govan, Stephen F. Austin State University *
Alissa Humphrey, James Madison University
Tiare Jennings, University of Oklahoma
Tori Kniesche, South Dakota State University
Jenna Laird, University of Missouri
Shelby Lowe, Auburn University
Janelle Meoño, University of Arizona *
Devon Miller, Fordham University *
Kiki Milloy, University of Tennessee *
Karli Spaid, Miami University
Alana Vawter, Stanford University *
Grace Vesco, Saint Francis University (Pa.) *
*Denotes second year
Texas Lutheran Sits At No. 1 Awaiting NCAA Destination
Texas Lutheran (28-4) continues as the No. 1 team in the land in this week’s NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs coming off their conference championship win, await selection in the NCAA Postseason for the opportunity to defend their 2019 National Championship.
| Rank | Team | 2021 Record | Points | Previous |
| 1 | Texas Lutheran (8) | 28-4 | 200 | 1 |
| T2 | DePauw | 32-2 | 192 | 3 |
| Virginia Wesleyan | 37-5-1 | 192 | 2 | |
| 4 | Moravian | 28-0 | 176 | 4 |
| 5 | Birmingham-Southern | 29-5 | 168 | 5 |
| 6 | Eastern Connecticut State | 27-2 | 160 | 6 |
| 7 | East Texas Baptist | 30-5 | 152 | 8 |
| 8 | Linfield | 36-7 | 144 | 11 |
| 9 | Salisbury | 24-7 | 136 | T12 |
| 10 | Berry | 25-8 | 128 | 10 |
| 11 | Christopher Newport | 28-12 | 113 | T12 |
| 12 | St. John Fisher | 26-3 | 109 | 14 |
| 13 | Belhaven | 30-10 | 99 | 7 |
| 14 | The College of New Jersey | 21-3 | 95 | 16 |
| 15 | Emory & Henry | 26-7 | 81 | 9 |
| 16 | Mount Union | 32-6 | 79 | 18 |
| 17 | Randolph-Macon | 14-7-1 | 55 | 17 |
| 18 | Rowan | 27-7 | 54 | 21 |
| 19 | Coe | 23-11 | 48 | NR |
| 20 | Rochester | 29-8 | 37 | 22 |
| 21 | St. Olaf | 22-4 | 35 | 19 |
| 22 | Trine | 30-8 | 33 | NR |
| 23 | Transylvania | 26-8 | 31 | NR |
| 24 | Wartburg | 26-8 | 24 | 15 |
| 25 | Concordia (Wis.) | 31-8 | 20 | 20 |
Others receiving votes: Misericordia 14, Milwaukee School of Engineering 14, Tufts 8, Benedictine 4, Millikin 1, Saint Benedict 1.
Dropped out: Alvernia, Aurora, Bethel (Minn.), George Fox, Hope, Ithaca, Mount St. Joseph, St. Scholastica and Williams.
Augustana Extends No. 1 Streak
For the sixth straight week Augustana (40-4) has kept the top spot in the NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Vikings received all 16 first-place votes.
| Rank | School | Points | 2021 Record | Last Poll |
| 1 | Augustana (16) | 400 | 40-4 | 1 |
| 2 | North Georgia | 380 | 36-5 | 3 |
| 3 | Auburn Montgomery | 361 | 39-5 | 4 |
| 4 | Oklahoma Christian | 354 | 36-6 | 6 |
| 5 | Lincoln Memorial | 327 | 36-6 | 5 |
| 6 | UT Tyler | 313 | 33-7 | 2 |
| 7 | Indianapolis | 311 | 43-6 | 7 |
| 8 | Young Harris | 273 | 31-9 | 10 |
| 9 | Valdosta State | 268 | 34-8 | 8 |
| 10 | Texas A&M-Commerce | 260 | 28-15 | 12 |
| 11 | Concordia Irvine | 246 | 26-11 | 11 |
| 12 | West Texas A&M | 220 | 32-10 | 9 |
| 13 | Grand Valley State | 209 | 37-7 | 13 |
| 14 | Central Oklahoma | 191 | 34-10 | 15 |
| 15 | Colorado Mesa | 163 | 34-2 | 16 |
| 16 | UAH | 153 | 31-12 | 14 |
| 17 | Minnesota State | 150 | 34-7 | 17 |
| 18 | Saint Anselm | 147 | 27-4 | 18 |
| 19 | Southern Arkansas | 103 | 26-7 | 22 |
| 20 | Angelo State | 80 | 31-11 | 21 |
| 21 | Rollins | 75 | 19-2 | 23 |
| 22 | Georgian Court | 63 | 33-4 | 24 |
| 23 | Winona State | 56 | 33-10 | 20 |
| 24 | Biola | 35 | 19-13 | 25 |
| 25 | Kutztown | 24 | 31-11 | RV |
New to Poll: No. 25 Kutztown
Dropped Out: No. 19 West Florida
Receiving Votes: Tampa (14), Northwest Nazarene (12), Central Missouri (4), Texas A&M University-Kingsville (4), West Florida (2), Rogers State (1), West Liberty (1).
Smith Moves On From Seton Hall
Seton Hall Head Coach Paige Smith has announced her resignation after leading the Pirates for the last nine seasons. Smith took the reins of the program in 2013 amassing a 165-247-1 record. SHU had 17 All-BIG EAST selections during her tenure.
RTS Headed To Louisville For ACC Championship
RTS will be at the ACC Championship starting tomorrow and throughout the week at Ulmer Stadium on the campus of the University of Louisville. Action starts with two games on Wednesday as No. 8 seed Syracuse takes on No. 9 seed Georgia Tech to lead off the event at 1:00 pm EST. No. 7 seed North Carolina State follows matching up with rival and No. 10 seed North Carolina at 3:30 pm EST. Follow RTS on Twitter @Rounding3rdSB for real-time in-game updates throughout the week at the ACC Championship.
Smith Resigns At Seton Hall
Seton Hall Head Coach Paige Smith has announced her resignation after leading the Pirates for the last nine seasons. Smith took the reins of the program in 2013 amassing a 165-247-1 record. SHU had 17 All-BIG EAST selections during her tenure.