STARKVILLE, Miss -- For the ninth consecutive week, North Georgia College & State University topped the latest edition of the NFCA Division II Top 25 poll and received all 16 first-place votes in the process as the Saints prepare for their third straight NCAA tournament appearance.

The Saints (45-0), who capped their undefeated season with the Peach Belt Conference tournament championship two week ago, were idle last week and begin the NCAA regionals on May 14-16 at a location yet to be determined by the NCAA .

The Saints, ranked No. 1 in every regular season poll this year, will look to advance to their second straight super regional round and Division II College World Series.

For the second straight week Valdosta State (39-6) came in at the No. 2 spot, while Midwestern State (46-6) and Hawaii Pacific (41-6) swapped spots to come in at third and fourth, respectively. Metro State rounded out the top five by coming in at fifth for the second time in as many weeks.

The NCAA Division II Softball Committee also released this week’s Division II softball regional polls which has North Georgia atop the Southeast standings, followed by Lenoir-Rhyne at No. 2, Augusta State at No. 3, Francis Marion at No. 4, Carson-Newman at No. 5, Armstrong Atlantic at No. 6, Mars Hill at No. 7, Wingate at No. 8, Limestone at No. 9, and Newberry at No. 10.

Following the Saints with automatic bids into the regional are Queens University, who captured the Conference Carolinas tournament championship for the second straight year, while Lenoir-Rhyne emerged the from the loser’s bracket last weekend to capture the South Atlantic Conference Tournament Title.

The NCAA’s format will pair the No. 1, No. 4, No. 5, and No. 8 seeds in one regional, while the No. 2, No. 3, No. 6, and No. 7 seeds will convene in another regional with both winners advancing to a best two of three Super Regional series on May 21-22. The winner of the Southeast Super Regional will advance to the 2010 NCAA Division II National Championships in St. Joseph, Missouri.