Milligan Favored to Win 2022 Softball Championship

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Milligan is the favorite to win the 2022 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) softball championship, according to the AAC coaches' poll released Tuesday.

Milligan won the 2021 regular-season championship with a 22-4 league record and advanced to the NAIA World Series, finishing with a 32-9 overall record. The Buffaloes received 12 first-place votes for a total of 194 total voting points.

Reinhardt is second with 175 voting points, having garnered two first-place votes. Truett McConnell checks in third with 169 voting points, while Brenau picked up the final first-place vote as it landed fourth with 150 voting points. Point rounds out the top five with 141 voting points.

Here is the complete breakdown of the poll:

2022 Softball Coaches Poll
Team (First-Place Votes) - Total Voting Points
1. Milligan (12) - 194
2. Reinhardt (2) - 175
3. Truett McConnell - 161
4. Brenau (1) - 150
5. Point - 141
6. Tennessee Wesleyan - 140
7. Bryan - 122
8. Union - 103
9. Columbia International - 88
10. Kentucky Christian - 79
11. Bluefield - 65
12. Columbia - 53
13. Montreat - 50
14. St. Andrews - 24
15. Johnson - 22

The AAC Tournament is set for April 25-29 at the Brickyard Ball Fields in Kingsport, Tenn. The tournament field has been expanded to 10 teams with the No. 7-10 seeds playing in a play-in game on Monday, April 25, to see which two teams advance to the double-elimination portion of the tournament.