College Softball Rankings: ESPN, USA Softball release updated Top 25 after opening weekend

College softball is officially back. Opening weekend was a fun one, with a ton of intriguing series, tournaments and fields featuring teams inside the preseason Top 25 softball rankings.

After the first weekend of the year, ESPN/USA Softball has released its latest official Top 25 rankings. There are a plethora of changes, starting at the top and rolling throughout the entire Top 25.

Oklahoma entered last season having won four consecutive national championships, but it was rival Texas that took the crown in 2025. The Longhorns defeated Texas Tech to win it all.

The two teams in that championship series, Texas and Texas Tech, entered the 2026 season ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in ESPN/USA Softball’s top 25 poll.

1. Texas Tech

Previous Ranking: Tie – No. 1
Weekly Record: 6-0
Overall Record: 6-0

It was a busy opening weekend for Texas Tech, which played in the McNeese Tournament from Thursday to Sunday. To say it was a dominant showing would be an understatement. The Red Raiders earned victories over McNeese State, North Texas, ULM, No. 11 Texas A&M, Providence and Bryant, outscoring opponents 64-9 on the weekend.

2. Texas

Previous Ranking: Tie – No. 1 (-1)
Weekly Record: 4-1
Overall Record: 4-1

Texas took part in the UTSA Invitational on opening weekend. The Longhorns started off with a 15-10 win over No. 9 Nebraska and an 11-6 win against No. 25 Washington, before falling in a rematch with Nebraska 8-5. Texas responded with a pair of wins to close out the weekend, again winning over Washington, 5-0, and UTSA, 10-0.

3. Tennessee

Previous Ranking: No. 4 (+1)
Weekly Record: 5-0
Overall Record: 5-0

Tennessee kicked off its season in the NFCA Leadoff Classic, and it enjoyed a great start to the year. The Vols swept their way through, going 5-0 with wins over BYU, No. 23 Liberty, Rutgers, Boston College and No. 5 Oregon in Clearwater. Tennessee allowed just two runs all weekend, outscoring opponents 33-2.

4. Oklahoma

Previous Ranking: No. 3 (-1)
Weekly Record: 3-1
Overall Record: 3-1

Oklahoma’s season began on Thursday with a 2-1 victory over Arizona State in Tempe, and they then went to Tucson to take on No. 18 Arizona in the Candrea Classic. The Wildcats took the series opener 11-6 on Friday, but the Sooners won on Saturday 21-3 in dominant fashion to even the series. In the rubber game on Sunday, Oklahoma won 5-4 to clinch the series and end the opening weekend on a high note.

5. Florida

Previous Ranking: No. 6 (+1)
Weekly Record:
Overall Record:

Florida is off to a great start, going 5-0 in Tampa as part of the USF-Rawlings Invitational. The Gators allowed just three runs all weekend. Florida won 7-0 against Illinois State, 5-1 against Michigan, 8-0 against Bethune-Cookman, 11-2 against Kansas and 6-1 vs. USF to emerge flawlessly out of opening weekend, moving into the top five in the post-Week 1 softball rankings.

6. Florida State

Previous Ranking: No. 7 (+1)
Weekly Record: 5-0
Overall Record: 5-0

Florida State was at home on opening weekend, hosting the JoaAnne Graf Classic. The Seminoles won a tight 2-0 contest on Thursday against Samford to open, before turning it up the rest of the way. They beat Iowa 12-3 on Friday, Marshall 6-2 and 10-2 on Saturday and UConn 6-0 on Sunday to begin the 2026 campaign.

7. UCLA

Previous Ranking: No. 10 (+3)
Weekly Record: 5-0
Overall Record: 5-0

It was quite the busy opening weekend for UCLA. They hosted the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament on Friday and Sunday in Los Angeles, beating UC Santa Barbara 18-1 and Northern Colorado 10-1 on Friday and UC Riverside 17-0 on Sunday. In between, the Bruins went to Irvine for the Mark Campbell Invitational, where they beat Oregon State 12-4 and Utah 11-0. That’s an impressive display, outscoring opponents 68-6. It leads to a three-spot rise in this week’s softball rankings.

T8. Nebraska

Previous Ranking: No. 9
Weekly Record: 3-2
Overall Record: 3-2

The UTSA Invitational was loaded, so Nebraska’s 3-2 record isn’t concerning. The Cornhuskers split two games against each of T-No. 1 Texas and No. 25 Washington. They beat Washington 8-5 and lost 3-2, and beat Texas 8-5 while losing 15-10. Nebraska also defeated UTSA 6-3, rounding out a 3-2 weekend to open things up.

T8. Texas A&M

Previous Ranking: No. 11 (+3)
Weekly Record: 4-1
Overall Record: 4-1

Texas A&M played host to the Aggie Classic over the weekend and came away with a 4-1 record. The Aggies earned victories over Abilene Christian (8-0), Utah State (9-1) and Providence (9-1 and 8-2). On Saturday, they faced off with No. 1 Texas Tech, where the Red Raiders escaped with a narrow 3-2 win. Still quite the showing for Texas A&M, and they rise three spots in this week’s softball rankings.

10. LSU

Previous Ranking: No. 13 (+3)
Weekly Record: 6-0
Overall Record: 6-0

LSU hosted the Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge this weekend, sweeping its way to a 6-0 record. They picked up a pair of wins over NC State (11-3 and 7-5) and Nevada (6-2 and 8-0), in addition to wins over Illinois (9-1) and Lamar (8-0).

College Softball Rankings: 11-25

11. Arkansas (-3)
12. Stanford (+5)
13. Alabama (+3)
14. Oregon (-9)
15. Arizona (+3)
16. Virginia Tech (+5)
17. Georgia (-2)
18. Clemson (-6)
19. Duke
20. South Carolina (-6)
21. Mississippi State (+3)
22. Arizona State (NR)
23. Oklahoma State (-3)
24. Washington (+1)
25. Virginia (NR)