5 Takeaways From USA Softball’s Preseason Rankings

With the 2026 college softball season only weeks away, here are some highlights from the preseason USA Softball/ESPN top 25 rankings to get you excited.

1. Texas and Texas Tech share No.1

For the past four years, the top preseason team in USA Softball/ESPN’s top 25 rankings has won the national championship. This year will be little different.

Texas is ranked first for the second consecutive year after winning the national championship in 2025. But the Longhorns have to share some real estate with Texas Tech, which is also ranked first.

The two powerhouses are equal for first place with 611 points, marking the first time in the poll’s 23-year history that the top two teams are tied.

They were also the last team standing in the 2025 Women’s College World Series finals, and this year could be similar, as Texas returns its championship talent, with Teagan Kavan leading the way.

Three hundred and seventy-three miles away, the Red Raiders spent the winter overhauling an already stacked lineup, with Taylor Pannel and Jasmyn Burns joining NiJaree Canady.

2. Sooners reload as Nebraska knocks

Oklahoma is ranked third after losing 3-2 to Texas Tech in the WCWS quarterfinals last season, ending its four-year championship streak. The Sooners have reloaded their weapons in the gateway with names like Miali Guachino and Syndey Berzon as they seek to reclaim the throne.

Nebraska enters the top ten at No. 9 after coming just short of reaching Oklahoma City last season when Tennessee defeated them in the Knoxville Supers. The Huskers have made it to the WCWS eight times in program history, although they are presently on a 12-year drought, having last appeared in 2013.

Will Jordy Bahl Frahm lead the road to Big Red’s success this year?

3. Tigers get back into action

LSU has made the biggest move in the poll, moving up to No. 13.

The Tigers were eliminated from the 2025 NCAA softball tournament after a crushing loss to Southeastern Louisiana in the Baton Rouge Regional, finishing at No. 19.

LSU enters the season with an excellent freshmen class and returning veteran talent in Maci Bergeron, Jayden Heavener, and Tori Edwards, supporting its six-spot ranking.

4. Rebels are reeling, but not ruled out

Who had the hardest fall?

That honour goes to No. 22 Ole Miss, who concluded last year at No. 8 following a remarkable season and trip to the WCWS. However, the Rebels lost some key players in the offseason, including Ashton Lansdell who graduated and Miali Guachino who transferred to Oklahoma.

Don’t rule them out, however. Ole Miss was not even ranked in the 2025 preseason poll, and we saw how that played out.

5. The SEC has the reins

If there seems to be a lot of talk about SEC teams, that’s because they have 12 positions in the Top 25. Not only is it more than any other conference, but it is also the highest representation the league has ever had, courtesy to the additions of Texas and Oklahoma in 2025. The ACC follows with five teams, while the Big Ten has four.

But if the 2025 season taught us anything, it’s that prior patterns don’t always hold true and that anyone can win this season.