Texas softball starts the season highly ranked as it seeks to defend its national title
Last season, Texas conquered the college softball world, winning a national championship in the WCWS. Now, most of the national polls still have Texas as one of the best teams in softball.
Texas begins its season today in San Antonio in the UTSA Invitational and will face several top-25 teams as it looks to defend its national championship. But those teams battling the Longhorns will be looking up at Texas in the polls.
On3’s Softball America has Texas 2nd in their preseason poll, with the previous year’s runner-up, Texas Tech, as the top team. Oklahoma is 3rd, with Tennessee and Oregon rounding out the top five. There are 12 SEC teams in the top 25, the most of any conference.
Poll:
1 Texas Tech
2 Texas
3 Oklahoma
4 Tennessee
5 Oregon
6 Florida State
7 Arkansas
8 UCLA
9 Clemson
10 Florida
11 Nebraska
12 LSU
13 Alabama
14 Texas A&M
15 Georgia
16 South Carolina
17 Arizona
18 Stanford
19 Oklahoma State
20 Duke
21 Mississippi State
22 Washington
23 Virginia
24 Virginia Tech
25 Ole Miss
ESPN’s USA Softball has Texas tied for 1st in their poll. Texas Tech and Nijaree Canady are also 1st, with Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Oregon occupying spots 3-5 in this poll as well. The SEC also has 12 teams ranked in this poll, the most of any conference.
Poll:
T1 Texas
T1 Texas Tech
3 Oklahoma
4 Tennessee
5 Oregon
6 Florida
7 Florida State
8 Arkansas
9 Nebraska
10 UCLA
11 Texas A&M
12 Clemson
13 LSU
14 South Carolina
15 Georgia
16 Alabama
17 Stanford
18 Arizona
19 Duke
20 Oklahoma State
21 Virginia Tech
22 Ole Miss
23 Liberty
24 Mississippi State
25 Washington
Finally, in D1Softball’s poll, Texas is outright the No. 1 team. Tech is 2nd, Oklahoma 3rd, and Tennessee 4th. Florida breaks into the top five while Oregon falls to sixth. The SEC still has 12 ranked teams.
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1 Texas
2 Texas Tech
3 Oklahoma
4 Tennessee
5 Florida
6 Oregon
7 Florida State
8 Arkansas
9 Nebraska
10 UCLA
11 Texas A&M
12 LSU
13 South Carolina
14 Alabama
15 Clemson
16 Duke
17 Georgia
18 Stanford
19 Oklahoma State
20 Virginia Tech
21 Arizona
22 Washington
23 Mississippi State
24 Ole Miss
25 Virginia
The Horns play 12 teams currently ranked in all three preseason polls, including Nebraska, Washington, Arizona, Stanford, and Oklahoma State in non-conference, and Oklahoma, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Georgia, Alabama, Texas A&M, and Arkansas in conference. Texas sees Nebraska tonight and will battle Washington later this weekend.
Overall, Texas and Texas Tech are seen as the two best teams in the nation, with Oklahoma, Tennessee, Oregon following very close behind.
The SEC is the best conference in the sport, with teams like Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Florida all looking elite, and another 8-10 teams that have the potential to be very good.
The Longhorns have the pieces to be great again; they just need to come together like they did last year. Texas will be tested all season long, but has a great shot at making it back to Oklahoma City and competing for back-to-back national titles.
