Softball Australia has announced the passing of former coach Barry Blanchard at the age of 86 years old. Blanchard was a beloved coach and personality within the National Program in Australia. His first national appointment came in 1995 with the Men’s National team, before being named as assistant coach for the Women’s National Team in 1997. He held that position through the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. He also had a stint as Head Coach of the Italian National Team at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He later returned to the Australian program as video analyst and selector for the Open Men’s program during the 2009 and 2013 World Championships.
The Spring Games Run Into Umpire Staffing Issues
RTS has learned that multiple games were canceled at The Spring Games yesterday due to what was termed as an “umpire shortage”. Ashland University Head Coach Emlyn Knerem Tweeted that her squad’s game with Central Missouri was canceled just before game time, and that the information was initially sent through email. She also indicated all of the scheduled session games in that time slot were also canceled, and that the teams in attendance this week were told that the event was at only “60% capacity for umpires”. The Spring Games is hosted by PFX Athletics and features games played over a month period by teams from all divisions and levels of collegiate softball that descend on the Central Florida area.
Longtime Coming, MIT Returns To The Field
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology opened their 2022 season yesterday. That isn’t something usually reserved for a headline. What is though, is it is the first time the Engineers have taken the field in 1,026 days. MIT split two games at the NFCA DIII Leadoff Classic in Columbus, GA marking the programs first games since May 13, 2019 due to the pandemic. The squad defeated Transylvania 5-4 while losing 9-4 to Alma.
Frew Scores 1,000th Career Coaching Victory
University of Charleston Coach Michelle Frew notched her 1,000th career coaching victory Thursday in a 10-1 victory over University of Mary. Frew is in her first season leading the Golden Eagles after 25 seasons coaching Rollins College.
Club Ball Icon Guidry Passes
RTS is saddened to report the passing of longtime club softball coach Ben Guidry at the age of 83 years old. Guidry, a USA Softball Hall of Fame Member in his home state of Louisiana, was most known as one of the founders of the Louisiana Patriots Club Program. One of the first teams in Louisiana to actively travel across the country competing, he helped hundreds of Prospective Student-Athletes achieve their dreams of playing on the collegiate level over his 50+ years in the sport.
RTS On-site For Opening ACC Weekend
RTS will be in Atlanta starting tomorrow to kickoff ACC play as host Georgia Tech (15-2) welcomes Duke (13-3) for a three-game series. Check-in at all of RTS’s platforms on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for live in-game updates and information throughout the weekend.
Former Pro GM Lands New Collegiate Job
Former Rockford Thunder and Chicago Bandits General Manager Aaron Moore has been named the new head coach at Morton College in Cicero, Illinois. The longtime pro league executive spent the last five years as head coach at NAIA Roosevelt University before now landing at the JUCO level.
Two Undefeated Teams Atop DII Top 25
Two undefeated teams sit atop this week’s NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. Texas Tyler (14-0) and Concordia Irvine (18-0) come in at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. UT Tyler is again unanimous in the top spot with all 16 first-place votes.
| Rank | School | Points | 2022 Record | Prev. Ranking |
| 1 | UT Tyler (16) | 400 | 14-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Concordia Irvine | 380 | 18-0 | 3 |
| 3 | Valdosta State | 370 | 12-3 | 2 |
| 4 | West Texas A&M | 351 | 11-2 | 5 |
| 5 | UIndy | 320 | 11-1 | 8 |
| 6 | Angelo State | 308 | 15-1 | 7 |
| 7 | Grand Valley State | 300 | 5-0 | 9 |
| 8 | Rogers State | 286 | 14-2 | 12 |
| 9 | North Georgia | 276 | 14-6 | 4 |
| 10 | Augustana | 249 | 4-3 | 10 |
| 11 | Tampa | 248 | 11-5 | 13 |
| 12 | Auburn Montgomery | 209 | 11-3 | 15 |
| 13 | Central Oklahoma | 200 | 12-2 | 16 |
| 14 | Lincoln Memorial | 177 | 13-5 | 11 |
| 15 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | 167 | 12-1 | 17 |
| 16 | Chico State | 160 | 14-4 | 6 |
| 17 | Minnesota State | 149 | 6-3 | 21 |
| 18 | Oklahoma Christian | 134 | 11-4 | 18 |
| 19 | West Florida | 109 | 11-3 | 22 |
| 20 | Cal State Monterey Bay | 97 | 12-5 | 14 |
| 21 | Anderson | 93 | 16-2 | 19 |
| 22 | Georgian Court | 48 | 2-2 | 20 |
| 23 | Texas A&M-Commerce | 37 | 12-4 | 25 |
| 24 | Harding | 31 | 13-4 | RV |
| 25 | Carson-Newman | 26 | 17-3 | RV |
New to Poll: No. 24 Harding, No. 25 Carson-Newman
Dropped Out: No. 23 Biola, No. 24 West Liberty
Four Undefeated Teams Sit In Top Four Spots In Top 25
This week’s USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll features undefeated teams in the top four spots. Unanimous No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Alabama, and No. 3 Florida State sit atop the poll all at 15-0 on the season, while Florida comes in right behind in the No. 4 slot at 16-0.
| Rank | School (First Place Votes) | Points | 2022 Record | Prev. Ranking |
| 1 | Oklahoma (32) | 800 | 15-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Alabama | 768 | 15-0 | 2 |
| 3 | Florida State | 734 | 15-0 | 3 |
| 4 | Florida | 704 | 16-0 | 4 |
| 5 | UCLA | 669 | 12-3 | 6 |
| 6 | Virginia Tech | 639 | 11-2 | 7 |
| 7 | Washington | 526 | 11-4 | 5 |
| 8 | Oklahoma State | 504 | 10-4 | 11 |
| 9 | Arizona | 492 | 10-4 | 8 |
| 10 | Kentucky | 488 | 13-1 | 12 |
| 11 | Arkansas | 466 | 8-3 | 10 |
| 12 | Oregon | 449 | 11-3 | 9 |
| 13 | Duke | 424 | 13-3 | 13 |
| 14 | Clemson | 416 | 11-3 | 14 |
| 15 | Missouri | 374 | 12-4 | 16 |
| 16 | Georgia | 348 | 14-2 | 15 |
| 17 | Northwestern | 296 | 10-4 | 18 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 247 | 9-6 | 17 |
| 19 | Michigan | 231 | 8-5 | 19 |
| 20 | Auburn | 214 | 15-1 | 21 |
| 21 | Louisiana | 182 | 10-2 | 20 |
| 22 | LSU | 133 | 12-5 | 24 |
| 23 | Arizona State | 106 | 9-4 | 22 |
| 24 | UCF | 50 | 10-6 | RV |
| 25 | Notre Dame | 39 | 12-3 | RV |
New to Poll: NO. 24 UCF, No. 25 Notre Dame
Dropped Out: No. 22 Texas, No. 25 USF
Receiving Votes: Texas (36), Stanford (25), USF (13), Charlotte (6), Iowa State (6), Liberty (5), James Madison (3), Texas A&M (2), Wisconsin (2), Fullerton (1), Georgia Tech (1), Illinois (1).
FSW Sits Atop NJCAA Poll
Florida SouthWestern State College (21-2) is the unanimous No. 1 in the NCJAA Division I Rankings released today. The defending National Champion Buccaneers received all nine first-place votes. Yavapai College (20-1) follows closely at No. 2, while undefeated Wallace State-Hanceville (18-0) sits at No. 3.
| Place | Name | Record | Points | 1st Place | Prev. |
| 1 | Florida Southwestern State College | 21-2 | 180 | 9 | N/A |
| 2 | Yavapai College | 20-1 | 171 | 0 | N/A |
| 3 | Wallace State Community College-Hanceville | 18-0 | 162 | 0 | N/A |
| 4 | Grayson College | 9-1 | 153 | 0 | N/A |
| 5 | Butler Community College – KS | 6-0 | 144 | 0 | N/A |
| 6 | Seminole State College (OK) | 7-1 | 135 | 0 | N/A |
| 7 | Odessa College | 14-2 | 126 | 0 | N/A |
| 8 | Chipola College | 18-2 | 117 | 0 | N/A |
| 9 | Chattanooga State Community College | 12-2 | 108 | 0 | N/A |
| 10 | San Jacinto College-South | 15-6 | 99 | 0 | N/A |
| 11 | Bossier Parish Community College | 5-1 | 90 | 0 | N/A |
| 12 | Three Rivers Community College – MO | 8-2 | 81 | 0 | N/A |
| 13 | McLennan Community College | 15-3 | 72 | 0 | N/A |
| 14 | Howard College | 13-3 | 63 | 0 | N/A |
| 15 | Pensacola State College | 16-2 | 54 | 0 | N/A |
| 16 | Central Arizona College | 16-1 | 45 | 0 | N/A |
| 17 | Salt Lake Community College | 5-5 | 36 | 0 | N/A |
| 18 | Northwest Florida State College | 21-4 | 27 | 0 | N/A |
| 19 | College of Central Florida | 20-6 | 18 | 0 | N/A |
| 20 | Crowder College | 8-2 | 9 | 0 | N/A |
Receiving Votes: Volunteer State, Gulf Coast, Rose State, Paris, Eastern Arizona, Angelina