With the 2026 college softball season just a few weeks away, here are some of the USA Softball/ESPN Top 25 rankings to get you pumped up.
1. Texas and Texas Tech stock no. 1
No. 1 preseason team in the USA Softball/ESPN Top 25 has won the national championship each of the past four years. This year, things will be a little different.
Texas is ranked No. 1 for the second straight year after winning the 2025 national title. But the longhorns must share the real estate; Texas Tech is also ranked No. 1.
The two powerhouses are tied for the top spot with 611 points, the first time in the 23-year history of the USA Softball poll that both teams have been ranked No. 1 in preseason rankings.
They were also the last finalists in the 2025 Women’s College World Series, and it could be more of the same this year, with Texas leading the way with the talent of the championship, Teagan Cavan.
📺 WATCH: Teagan Kavan Attacks From 2025 WCWS Title Match
Three hundred and seventy-three miles away, the Red Raiders spent the offseason revamping an already stacked lineup with names like Taylor Pannell and Jasmine Burns now backing up NiJaree Canadi.
2. Soon after, Nebraska will reload
Oklahoma is No. 3, having missed four consecutive championships last season Lost to Texas Tech 3-2 in the WCWS semifinals. Names like Miali Guachino and Sindei Berzon have been reloaded on the portal as the Ancients look to reclaim their thrones.
Nebraska fell to No. 9 in the top 10 last season after Tennessee was eliminated in the Knoxville Super Bowl by OKC. The Huskers have reached the WCWS eight times in program history, but have been in a 12-year drought since their last appearance in 2013.
Will this be the Big Red’s year with Jordy Bahl Frahm at the helm?
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?
JORDI BAHL DOES IT AGAIN 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/p8i1h3psZc
— Nebraska Softball (@HuskerSoftball) May 18, 2025
3. Tigers return to action
The biggest jump in the poll came from LSU at No. 13.
The Tigers were seeded 19th in the 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament with a tough loss to Southeast Louisiana State in the Baton Rouge Regional.
While LSU began the season boasting a top-ranked freshman class, returning veteran talent such as Maki Bergeron, Jayden Heavener and SEC Freshman of the Year Torey Edwards justified the six-point deficit.
📝 WANT MORE? Check out 5 stories to know heading into the 2026 season
4. There is no denying that the Rebels are rolling
Who fell the hardest?
That advantage belongs to No. 22 Ole Miss, who was ranked No. 8 last year after a historic season and a trip to the WCWS. The Rebels lost some big names with Ashton Lansdell graduating and Miali Guachino transferring to Oklahoma.
Don’t count them out, though. Ole Miss wasn’t even ranked in the 2025 preseason poll, and we saw how that turned out.
WHY NOT US?#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/2tyu1XMq9a
— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) May 25, 2025
5. The SEC holds the reins
If it seems like SEC teams are being talked about a lot, it’s because they have 12 spots in the Top 25. Not only is that more than any other conference, but the league has the most representation thanks to the addition of Texas and Oklahoma in 2025. The ACC ranks fourth in the Big Ten with five teams.
But if the 2025 season has taught us anything, it’s that past stories aren’t always powerful, and it’s anyone’s season to tell.
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