LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Following the sixth week of the regular season, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association released its weekly Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll and the two changes that took place in this week's Top 10 involved a handful of teams from the Central Region.
 
The Lady Muleriders (21-3, 10-2 GAC) slid one spot to claim the No. 8 ranking nationally. Winona State (17-2) jumped into the No. 7 ranking after placing in the No. 8 slot last week. Saint Leo (20-7) moved up one spot to No. 9, swapping with Minnesota State (16-3) who now sits at No. 10 nationally.
 
Harding (14-4) dropped a single spot from No. 17 to No. 18, while Central Oklahoma and Minnesota Duluth received votes to round out the highly-competitive Central Region's involvement in the poll.
 
Colorado Mesa (22-0), who received a dozen of the 16 first place votes and 394 points, continued to hold a firm grip on the nation's No. 1 ranking for the second-straight week. North Georgia (26-1) remained No. 2 and Dixie State (18-0) held onto the No. 3 ranking. Both teams garnered a pair of first place nods.
 
The top six spots in the poll remain unchanged from a week ago.
 
A pair of teams (No. 20 Southern New Hampshire (10-0), No. 23 Grand Valley State (13-5)) entered the Top 25 this week, while No. 25 California Baptist (16-3) checks in to the national rankings after receiving votes last week. No. 14 Southern Indiana (12-9), No. 18 Valdosta State (17-7) and No. 21 Cameron (16-7) all dropped out of the organization's fourth weekly poll.
 
The 2018 NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the eight NCAA regions. Records reflect games played through March 11, 2018.
 
Southern Arkansas has won 21 of their first 24 games of the season. The Lady Muleriders enter the halfway point of their regular season slate this weekend at home with a four-game Great American Conference series against Southwestern Oklahoma State.
 
The series begins Friday, March 16, with a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. The two teams will conclude the league set on Saturday, March 17, with a doubleheader slated for an 11 a.m. start. Keep up-to-date with SAU Softball by visiting www.MuleriderAthletics.com.