Biggest Winners and Losers from the First College Softball RPI Rankings of 2022

The inaugural Division 1 RPI rankings of the 2022 season were released on Monday afternoon. An acronym for Ratings Percentage Index, the RPI is the closest public metric to the numbers used by the NCAA softball committee to ultimately determine the NCAA tournament field in May. The RPI relies on a team’s wins and losses, as well as strength of schedule, and is updated weekly during the course of the regular season.

Monday’s RPI rankings began with Virginia Tech at #1 overall and ended with winless Prairie View A&M at #299. Every Division 1 team is included in the rankings.

As with any set of data and rankings, there are always winners and losers. From Monday’s list, here’s our list of initial Winners and Losers from the first RPI release of ’22.

Winner: Virginia Tech

The Hokies are ranked #1 in the nation – there aren’t a lot of bad things that come from that. Now 14-3 on the year, the Hokies’ only losses have come to other teams ranked in the top 10 – and have nine wins over teams ranked in the top 40 in RPI. The rising strength of the ACC – five teams in the top 21 are from the ACC – will help VT keep a high spot, as well, if they keep up their current winning pace.

Loser: Sun Belt

Last season, the Sun Belt placed a total of four teams into the NCAA tournament, including three teams that earned at-large bids based on their records and strength of schedule. In the initial RPI for this year, the Sun Belt has just two teams in the top 40, followed by Troy at #65 and Louisiana-Monroe at #99.

Winner: Charlotte

Checking in at #8 in the initial RPI, the Niners are rewarded for a top-tier strength of schedule and for a lot of quality wins in the early-going. Last Wednesday’s win over now-top-ranked Virginia Tech didn’t hurt, either. At 18-3 on the year and with a win in their only road game to this point, the Niners are in good position.

Loser: ASun

Traditionally, the ASun is a strong conference and finishes in the top ten in conference RPI annually. To begin the 2022 ranking season, though, the league is well behind their usual position. On an individual basis, the highest-ranked ASun team in the RPI is Liberty at #46, followed by North Alabama at #53 and North Florida at #62. A multi-bid league to the NCAA tournament last season, the ASun is not enjoying that same great positioning to begin ’22.

Winner: Big Ten

After last season’s conference-only fiasco, the Big Ten set out with something to prove this year. They have done that already. Michigan and Northwestern check in at #10 and #11, respectively, in the initial RPI rankings and there are a total of four Big Ten teams in the top 30. Minnesota, a tournament staple over the last several years, is outside that margin, checking in at #33. The Big Ten is in strong position to begin the RPI-ranking season.

Loser: Big 12

Oklahoma is #3 and Oklahoma State is #6, but outside of those two programs, the initial RPI release did not reflect favorably on the Big 12. Texas, three games over .500 at this point in the year, is #30. From there, it’s all the way back to Baylor at #72 and a trio of conference schools in the high double-digits at #88, #90, and #92. Outside of a surprise tournament victor, if the NCAA tournament was picked right now, there’s a good chance that the Big 12 would only get three teams into the field.

Winner: The Power Five

A nice handful of mid-major conferences received multiple bids to the NCAA tournament last season, and that happened on the back of a weakened Power 5 offering, whether it be the Big Ten’s conference-only schedule or an SEC team not making the field of 64. The opposite looks to be in effect already this season; just four teams in the top 30 in the initial RPI are from outside the Power Five, and two those schools are eventually-Big-12-bound UCF and BYU. Thus far, it looks like at-large bids for mid-majors could be at a premium this year.

Loser: James Madison

Last season’s Women’s College World Series surprise team is not off to a great start to the 2022 season, and it showed in their initial RPI ranking. The Dukes are #94 after Monday, sporting a 4-9 record. As a reminder, no matter what happens in the CAA regular season, this is a JMU team whose only chance at playing in the NCAA tournament is if they receive an at-large bid, which would be based fairly strongly on their non-conference resume – the same criteria that the RPI is based on to this point.