Week 2 is in the books for the NFCA Division 1 and 2 college softball seasons and each week we will honor those teams and players selected by NCAA D1 and D2 coaches for their impressive play.

These polls are released on Tuesdays during the regular season. Records reflect games played through Feb. 15, 2026.

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NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll

Lady Vols Seize No. 1 ranking 2026 NFCA/GoRout DI Top 25 Coaches Poll

Tennessee, which dominated the competition at the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational, vaulted to No. 1 in this week’s 2026 NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll. Collecting four top-25 victories, the Lady Vols (10-0) received 19 first-place votes and 755 points to earn the NFCA’s top spot for the first time since Feb. 11, 2014.

Not only did UT add four top-25 wins to its resume, it did so in resounding fashion, plucking off Nebraska, Florida Atlantic, UCLA and Florida State by the scores of 4-1, 8-0, 11-0 and 9-1. Add an 11-0 thumping of JMU and the Lady Vols outscored their competitors, 43-2 in Clearwater. It was the second consecutive undefeated weekend in the Sunshine State for the Lady Vols, who opened the season with the 2026 NFCA Division Leadoff Classic title, including ranked wins over Liberty and Oregon. 

Texas Tech, last week’s No. 1 team, posted a 4-1 showing at the Shriners, earning top-25 victories over Florida State and Florida Atlantic, but dropped its first contest of the season in the tournament finale to new-No. 10 Nebraska. The Red Raiders (11-1), who also blanked Northwestern and JMU, received 10 first-place votes and 741 points.

Texas, which earned the final two first-place votes (717 points), opened up its home campaign with five wins in its annual Bevo Classic. The Longhorns (9-1) posted four-run rule wins, scoring 55 runs against Abilene Christina, Ohio State, Syracuse and Northern Illinois.

No. 4 Florida rattled off seven more wins last week to improve to 12-0 on the young season. After outscoring Jacksonville 31-1 in a home-and-home series, the Gators generated two wins over Marshall and Georgia Tech as well as one more versus FIU as hosts of the Florida Classic in Gainesville.

Highlighted by a nearly-record breaking 34-0 win at UTEP, No. 5 Oklahoma generated 91 runs over a five-game stretch last week, scoring at least 10 runs in all five of its victories. The 34 runs in El Paso was one-run shy of the program record.

Rounding out the final five spots of the top 10 are No. 6 Florida State, No. 7 Arkansas, No. 8 Alabama, No. 9 UCLA and No. 10 Nebraska. The Seminoles (8-2), Bruins (7-3) and Huskers (6-4) all took part in the loaded field at the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational.

FSU notched ranked wins over FAU and UCLA with its two defeats to this and last week’s No. 1 teams Tennessee and Texas Tech. Along with its win over the Red Raiders, the Huskers blanked then-No. 12 LSU and UCF. The Bruins’ two wins were against Missouri and LSU.

The seventh-ranked Razorbacks (8-1) ran through the Texas State Tournament, outscoring the opposition, 42-3, including a 12-0 victory over then-No. 18 Clemson. No. 8 Alabama is the third undefeated team in the top 10 at 9-0, taking care of business at home with four wins, two each over Liberty and Purdue, hosting the Bama Bash.

Joining Tennessee, Florida and Alabama as the only undefeated top-25 programs is fellow SEC member Mississippi State at No. 14. The Bulldogs (10-0) swept through the eighth annual The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial with five wins.

Making their way into the top 25 is No. 22 Arizona State and No. 24 Oklahoma State. The Sun Devils (10-1) have won nine straight, while the Cowgirls (6-4) notched nationally-ranked wins over new-No. 16 Georgia, UCLA and then-No. 8 Texas A&M.

The 2026 NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 31 NCAA Division I head coaches with one representing each of the NCAA’s Division I Conferences. Records reflect games played through Feb. 15, 2026.

2026 NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll

2/17/26 (Week 2)

Receiving Votes: Grand Canyon (48), North Florida (29), Florida Atlantic (22), Southeastern Louisiana (19), Omaha (15), Michigan (12), Auburn (11), Washington (7), UCF (4), Charlotte (1), Michigan State (1), San Diego State (1).

New to Poll: No. 22 Arizona State, No. 24 Oklahoma State

Dropped Out: No. 23 Florida Atlantic, No. 25 Southeastern Louisiana

The 2026 NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 31 NCAA Division I head coaches with one representing each of the NCAA’s Division I Conferences. Poll will be released on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. ET during the regular season. Records reflect games played through Feb. 15, 2026.

NFCA DI Top 25 Poll Committee

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NFCA Division I Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week

Florida’s Kendall Grover and Arkansas’ Robyn Herron were named Division I Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player and Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week honors for contests played Feb. 9-15.

Grover keyed the fourth-ranked Gators (12-0) to seven victories last week, launching five home runs, driving in 14 runs and scoring nine times. She batted .417 with 10 base hits and registered four multi-hit and multi-RBI contests. The senior third baseman left the yard twice and notched six RBI versus Marshall. Grover added a 3-for-4 outing with three RBI and a homer at Jacksonville.

Herron picked up two wins over the weekend at the States Up Invitational hosted by Texas State. The senior hurler struck out 15 batters in just 6.2 innings of work, accounting for all but five outs, while she was in the circle. Herron fanned 11 batters in a one-hit five-inning shutout of the previously 18^th-ranked Clemson Tigers. She followed that up with four more punchouts in a 1.2 innings of no-hit relief to earn the victory against BYU.

The awards are voted on by the NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll Committee, which features one member coach from each of the NCAA’s 31 conferences.

Selected Top Performances
Lauren Archambault, Wofford – .555, 5 RBI, 3 R, 2 2B, 3B; Bella Atkinson, Illinois State – .364, 5 2B, 5 RBI, 5 R; Tianna Bell, Arkansas – .385, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, BB, 1.308 SLG; Mackenzei Bernal-Mahagan, USC Upstate – .545, 6 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R, 1.091 SLG, .583 OBP; Ava Brown, Florida – 2-0, 1.18 ERA, 2 SV, 8 K, .375, HR, 6 BB, 8 RBI, 2 2B, 6 R; Nevaeh Brown, Houston – 2-0, 2.52 ERA, 13 K, CG, 16.2 IP, SHO; Maalia Cherry, UC San Diego – .750, 2B, 2 HR, 1.333 SLG, .778 OBP, 0 K; Emma Clarke, Tennessee – .429, 6 H, 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 9 R, 2BB, SB; Ella Cunningham, Troy – .636, 7 H, 4 2B, HR, 7 RBI, 1.273 OBP; Macee Eaton, Virginia – .667, 2 2B, HR, 1.222 SLG, .727 OBP, 0 K, 2BB; Gigi Ganje, Penn – .412, 7 H, 2B, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 1.176 SLG; RyLee Gardner – Houston – .455, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2B, .533 OBP, 1.091 SLG; Abby Greenwood, Wofford – 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 8 K, 11 IP; Maddie Hartley, Houston – .467, 2 2B, 4 HR, 8 RBI, .556 OBP, 1.400 SLG; Karsen Jany, Saint Louis – .643, 5 2B, 5 RBI, 8 R, 1.000 SLG, .737 OBP; Jaylah Jarrell, Charlotte – .667, 8 H, 2 HR (grand slam), 1.250 SLG; Taylor Jones, Charlotte – 3 APP/2 GS, 2 W, 2 CG wins over 14 Virginia Tech and RV Michigan State, 0.00 ERA, 7 K; Micaela Kastor, Notre Dame – 2-1, 0.00 ERA, 13 K, 5 BB, 12 IP; Cameron Kaufman, Bowling Green – .438, 7 H, 10 R, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, HBP, 6-6 SB, .550 OBP; Taryn Kern, Stanford – .400, 3B, 2HR, 6 R, 8 RBI, 1.200 SLG; Courtney Layne, Virginia – 1-0, SV, 6.2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, .048 opp BA; Audrey Lowry, Oklahoma – 3-0, 8 K, BB, 8.1 IP; Avary Makarewicz, UT Martin – .615, 8 H, 2 2B, 6 R, 9 RBI, 1 SB, .667 OBP, 1.231 SLG; Sydney Malott, Iowa State – .636, 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1.273 SLG, .733 OBP; Hannah Marien, USF – 2-0, 0.58 ERA, 6 K, ER, 12 IP; Erin Nuwer, Tennessee – 3-0, 0.00 ERA, SHO, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 13 K, SHO vs. No. 6 UCLA (1 hit); Lindsay O’Dell, Loyola Marymount – 4-0, 0.55 ERA, 12 K, 16.1 IP; Brelyn O’Hearn, Charlotte – .444, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB; Allison Oneacre, Penn State – .583, 7 H, 9 R, 2 2B, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 1.750 SLG, 7 BB, .700 OBP; Kasidi Pickering, Oklahoma – .833, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 13 R, 10 H, 6 BB, .889 OBP, 1.833 SLG; Karhys Pierce, USF – .526, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI; Moriah Polar, Purdue – .545, 6 H, 2B, 2 RBI, 6 SB; Kaylee Pond, Arizona State – .500, 8 H, 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 8 R, 4 BB, 0 K, .619 OBP, 1.12 SLG; Sydney Poole, Loyola Marymount – .600, 12 H, 2 2B, 9 RBI, 3 R; Kennedy Powell, Texas A&M – .647, 11 H, 8 R, 6 RBI, grand slam, 3 2B; Kennedy Proctor, Utah – .412, 4 2B, 6 RBI; Lauren Putz, Michigan – .600, 9 H, 8 R, 12 RBI, 2B, 5 HR, 2 BB, 2.067 SLG, .648 OBP; Destiny Rodriguez, Auburn – .526, 10 H, 7 R, 13 RBI, 3 HR, 1.000 SLG; Aglaia Rudd, Robert Morris – .455, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 1.92 OPS, 1.545 SLG; Sanaa Thompson, North Carolina – .722, 13 H, 13 R, HR (inside-the-park); Abby Ulsas, Saint Louis – .500, 4 2B, 3 3B, 1.056 SLG, 6 RBI, 8 R; Emily Williams, Southern Illinois – .438, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 3 BB, 0 K, .526 OBP.

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NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll

Undefeated AUM Remains No. 1 in 2026 NFCA/GoRout DII Top 25 Coaches Poll

Improving to 10-0 on the young season, Auburn University at Montgomery remained No. 1 in this week’s 2026 NFCA/GoRout Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Warhawks earned 15 of the 16 first-place votes and 399 points. New No. 2 Cal State San Marcos (12-1) picked up the other first-place vote and 382 points.

AUM picked up four more wins in its trip to Florida last week. The Warhawks earned road victories over Florida Tech and Rollins and a neutral-site triumph over Embry-Riddle. Following a 7-2 win over the Panthers, AUM churned out three one-run victories, including two over the Tars.

The second-ranked Cougars and No. 3 Cal State East Bay extended their win streaks to 10 and 13 games, respectively. Cal State San Marcos swept Biola at home and Azusa Pacific on the road in a pair of doubleheaders, while the Pioneers (14-1) went 5-0 at the Stanislaus State Invitational, winning three of their five contests by one run.

Idle Tampa remained at No. 4, while West Texas A&M (10-2) swept Eastern New Mexico in a Lone Star Conference twinbill to move into the No. 5 spot.

Francis Marion, which has rattled off seven straight wins, moved up to No. 6, while Missouri Southern made the biggest jump. The seventh-ranked Lions (15-1) elevated 10 spots after a 5-0 showing at the Cherokee Nation DII Festival, which included an 8-0 run-rule win over Southern Arkansas. It was the first defeat of the season for the Muleriders (13-1), who come in at No. 10 this week.

North Georgia (8-2) remained at No. 8 and Angelo State is No. 9 after falling seven positions following a 2-3 trip to the Sunshine State.

New to the poll this week in No. 25 Montevallo, earning its first ever national ranking in its young history (played first season of softball in 2015). Picking up six wins last week, the Falcons improved to 11-1 on the season.

The 2026 NFCA/GoRout Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by the NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll Committee. The committee consists of 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the NCAA’s eight regions. The poll is announced every Tuesday at noon ET during the regular season. Records reflect games played through Feb. 15, 2026.

2026 NFCA/GoRout Division II Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll

2/17/26 (Week 2)

Receiving Votes: Carson-Newman (19), Pittsburg State (19), Northwest Nazarene (10), Wilmington (7), East Stroudsburg (5), UAH (1).

New to Poll: No. 25 Montevallo

Dropped Out: No. 23 Wilmington

The 2026 NFCA/Go Rout Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by the NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll Committee. The committee consists of 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the NCAA’s eight regions. Records reflect games played through Feb. 15, 2026.

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NFCA Division II Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week

Montevallo’s Becca Benton and Francis Marion’s Jenna Walling earned Division II Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player and Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week honors for contests played Feb. 9-15.

Benton powered the Falcons’ offense to six wins last week, batting .647 with a double, six home runs and 16 RBI. The senior from Hayden, Ala. also scored eight runs and slugged 1.765. Benton homered twice in wins over Miles and Converse, driving in five and four runs, respectively. She registered at least one hit in all six games, collecting a season-best three with three runs scored versus Converse. Her efforts keyed Montevallo to its first national ranking this week at No. 25.

Making four appearances and three starts, Walling posted a 4-0 record with a 0.32 ERA and 17 strikeouts for the No. 6 Patriots. She scattered 12 hits (.158 opp. BA), allowed just one earned run and did not issue a free pass over 21.2 innings of work. The graduate hurler twirled a two-hit shutout at Coker, fanning nine Cobras. She also went the distance in wins over Ferris State and Tusculum, striking out four in each outing. Walling also helped herself out at the plate, launching two home runs, including the walk-off two-run homer versus the Bulldogs, giving her the win in relief.

The awards are voted on by the NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll Committee, which features two member coaches from each of the NCAA’s eight regions.

Selected Top Performances
Jill Albayati, Cal State San Marcos – .500, 6 H, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 4 BB, 1.000 SLG; Sydney Cline, Saint Leo – .429, 2B, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, SB; Christina D’Agostino, Nova Southeastern – .500, 3B, HR (grand slam), BB, 4 RBI, R; Natalee Gray, Lubbock Christian – 1-0, 0.54 ERA, 11 K, BB, 13 IP, H, perfect game vs. Vanguard; Taylor Lloyd, Montevallo – 3-0, 0.39 ERA, 21 K, BB, 18 IP; Sydney Long, Wayne State University – 1-0, 0.000 ERA, 5 K, BB, 3 H; Raylin Morgan, Rogers State – .462, 2 2b, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 1.077 SLG; Briana Neal, Saint Leo – .429, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 5 R, 3-3 SB; Hunter Near, Wayne State University – .625, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 1.125 SLG, .667 OBP; Kiki Pickens, Missouri Southern – 2-0, 2.40 ERA, 22 K, 11.2 IP, SHO vs. No. 11 Southern Arkansas; Gianna Saggese, Missouri Southern – .571, 2B, HR, 8 RBI, .667 OBP; Zoey Sifuentes, Angelo State – .563, 9 H, 4 R, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .588 OBP, 1.000 SLG; Tori Turner, Harding – .611, 11 H, 2 RBI; Gracelyn Wallace, Nova Southeastern – 1-0, 1.00 ERA, 6 K; Greenlee Wells, Oklahoma Baptist – .538, 2 2B, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 1.615 SLG; Madalyn White, Francis Marion – .591, 3 2B, 3B, 9 R, 2 RBI, .609 OBP, 2 SB; Alex Wright, Saint Leo – 2-0, 0.66 ERA, 10 K, 2 BB, 10.2 IP, CG.

The NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded Louisville Slugger/Player & Wilson/Pitcher of the Week awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from webinars to legal counsel, to in-person events and the National Convention.