Here are Week 9’s NFCA Division 1, 2 & 3 college softball rankings as well as the 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 March 29-April 5, 2026.

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NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll

Texas Tech takes over No. 1 ranking in NFCA/GoRout DI Top 25 Coaches Poll

Texas Tech rolled to four more wins and made its return to No. 1 in this week’s 2026 NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll.

The Red Raiders’ (38-2) 13-game winning streak combined with Texas’ series loss to new No. 3 Alabama pushed them to the pole position, a spot they achieved for a week in the first regular season poll of 2026.  Cruising to four more run-rule victories, one versus Abilene Christian and three against BYU, Texas Tech outscored the opposition 42-7 and now has ended the game early 27 times this season.

Also sliding up the poll after the Longhorns’ defeat is Oklahoma to No. 2 and Alabama (35-3) to No. 3. The Sooners (38-3) thumped Wichita State and Kentucky in four run-rule victories by a combined score of 43-8, while Alabama bounced back from a series-opening defeat with 11-4 and 7-4 victories over Texas. The Longhorns dipped to No. 4 in the rankings.

The hottest team on the field, Florida State, made its way to No. 5 after extending its Division I-best win streak to 24 games, following an ACC sweep of Notre Dame. Florida, which won its series against No. 13 Mississippi State, fell one position to No. 6.

No. 7 Nebraska and No. 8 Arkansas each improved one spot as the Huskers (30-6) dispatched Rutgers in three games, along with a mid-week win at Creighton, while the Razorbacks (32-5) shut out Auburn in the first two games of their SEC series.

Tennessee continued its slide down the poll to No. 9. The Lady Vols (32-6) did win their series against then-No. 25 South Carolina, but are just 6-6 since starting the season 26-0. UCLA (33-5) topped Hawai’i in a single game before sweeping Indiana in Big Ten action.

Making the biggest improvements this week were Oregon, climbing three spots to No. 15 and Dukes elevating five positions to No. 18. The Ducks (29-9) swept Iowa at home and the Blue Devils (28-11) took care of business at home against then-No. 12 Virginia. The Cavaliers (31-6) plummeted to No. 17 after suffering the sweep in Durham.

UCF made its way back to the rankings at No. 25. The Knights (30-10-1) won their Big 12 series against Utah. They had been on a tear offensively, scoring 75 runs during a five-game span before that was ended in a 2-2 tie against the Utes, a low-scoring game that was halted after four hours due to Utah’s drop-dead time.

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 April 5.

2026 NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll

4/7/26 (Week 9)

Receiving Votes: Louisville (32), Southeastern Louisiana (27), South Carolina (26), Belmont (14), North Carolina (9), Nevada (6), Kansas (5), Saint Mary’s (5), Clemson (1), Omaha (1).

Dropped Out: No. 25 South Carolina

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 April 5.

NFCA DI Top 25 Poll Committee

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NFCA Division I Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week

Tucker, Johnson score 2026 Louisville Slugger/Wilson DI weekly honors

Georgia Tech’s Gracyn Tucker and Belmont’s Maya Johnson were named Division I Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player and Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week for contests played March 30-April 5. It marked Johnson’s fifth accolade of the season.

Tucker was 9-for-11 (.818) at the plate with a double, three home runs, nine RBI and nine runs scored. She slugged 1.727, reached base at a .867 clip (two walks) and was 2-for-2 swiping bases. Tucker opened the week with a 3-for-3 outing with two long balls, four runs and six RBI against Mercer. She also homered in the final two contests of a three-game ACC sweep of Boston College, which included a 3-for-3 showing in game two.

Johnson continued her dominance in 2026 as she twirled her third no-hitter of the season against Drake and finished the week leading NCAA Division I in ERA, strikeouts, strikeouts per seven innings and numerous other categories. She carried a perfect game into the seventh, but a leadoff walk ended the bid against the Bulldogs. Johnson faced just one batter over the minimum with 15 strikeouts and a walk on just 90 pitches.

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
Odhi Vasquez, Saint Mary’s – 3-0, 0.93 ERA, 17 K, 2 BB, 15 IP versus No. 21 Washington and No. 24 Stanford; Kylie Aldridge, Virginia Tech – .625, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 0 K, 5 H; Bella Atkinson, Illinois State – .500, 5 H, 2B, 2 HR, 2 R, 8 RBI, 1.200 SLG, 12 A, 1000 FLD; Ella Boyer, Kansas – .750, 6 H, 6 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI, .833 OBP, 1.875 SLG, set KU freshman HR record (17); Payton Burnham, Arkansas – 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 K, 4 BB, 2 H, 7 IP, SHO; Elon Butler, Oregon – .583, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1.333 SLG, first player in program history to hit for the cycle (1B, 3B, HR, 2B); Madison Conley, North Texas – .857, 3 HR, 5 R, 7 RBI, 2.143 SLG, 3 BB, .818 OBP, homered for 100^th career hit; Megan Coyle, Boston University – .778, 2 3B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 7 R, 2 BB, HBP, .818 OBP, 1.889 SLG; Kylee Edwards, LSU – .38, 5 H, 2 HR, 2B, 3B, 6 RBI, 2 R, 1.077 SLG, first Tiger to hit for the cycle (HR, 1B, 2B, 3B); Ronnie Esparza, Houston – .667, 4 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 1.667 SLG; Jayden Heavener, LSU – 1-0, 0.88 ERA, 13 K, 5 H, 8 IP, CG; Chelsea Mack, Louisville – .643, 9 H, 3B, 2 RBI, 3 BB, .706 OBP, 3 SB, 4 R; Makenna Mitchell, Houston – .313, 5 H, HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, 3 2B, 2 BB, GW HR in 15^th inning vs. Baylor; Moriah Polar, Purdue – .800, 8 H, 2 2B, 3B, 4 R, 4 RBI, 1.200 SLG; Cassie Reasner, Ole Miss – .571, 4 H, 3 HR, 8 RBI, BB, homered in three consecutive at bats and set single-game RBI record (7) vs. Memphis; Kasey Ricard, Boston University – 3-0, 0.00 ERA, 17 K, BB, 13 IP, CG, no-hitter vs. Bucknell (7 K); Sydney Shaffer, Delaware – .500, 2 HR, 2B, 6 BB, 0 K, .769 OBP, 1.667 SLG; Gigi Solis, Houston – W, SV, set program record with 12.2 innings pitched vs. Baylor; Katie Stewart, Texas – .667, .727 OBP, 6 H, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB; Kendall Wells, Oklahoma – .556, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 1.889 SLG, 6 BB, tied NCAA single-season home record in just 40 games; Aniyah Whipper, Howard – .875, 7 H, 4 2B, 3B, 12 RBI, 6 R, 2 SB; Lilly Whitten, Ole Miss – 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 H, 6 K, CG, SHO; Kailey Wyckoff, Arkansas – .600, 2 HR,4 RBI, 3 H, 4 R, BB.

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2026 NFCA/GoRout Division II Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll

Cal State San Marcos returns to No. 1 in NFCA/GoRout DII Top 25 Coaches Poll

Cal State San Marcos swept its third straight CCAA series and returned to No. 1 in this week’s NFCA/GoRout Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. Previous-No. 1 West Texas A&M, who had been in the top spot for three weeks, dipped to No. 5 after it was swept at home by new-No. 25 UT Tyler.

The Cougars (36-3) stayed undefeated at home (16-0) following a four-game sweep of Cal State Dominguez Hills last weekend. San Marcos bookended the series in similar fashion with walk-off victories, courtesy of Jillian Albayati’s three-run homer in the opener (3-2) and a Marissa Morales ninth-inning RBI single in the finale (2-1).

Saint Leo continued its rise up the poll, moving into the No. 2 spot after another Sunshine State Conference sweep. Picking up three victories at Embry-Riddle, the Lions (33-2-1) own a 28-game win streak, the second longest active win streak across the NCAA’s three divisions, sitting four behind current leader No. 9 Colorado Christian at 34. The Cougars (38-2) swept four games from MSU Denver to remain perfect in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action.

Pittsburg State moved into a tie with North Georgia for the No. 3 spot. The Gorillas split a MIAA twinbill with Rogers State, while the NightHawks won their Peach Belt Conference series versus USC Beaufort.

The previously-mentioned Lady Buffs (33-5) also saw their 18-game win streak snapped with those losses to the Patriots (32-8). They did bounce back with a sweep of Texas Woman’s on Saturday.

UT Tyler, which dropped out of the rankings after the first week of the regular season, has won seven straight and 17 of its last 18 contests.

Rounding out the rest of the top 10 is No. 6 Auburn University at Montgomery (30-6), No. 7 UIndy, No. 8 Cal State East Bay (29-7), No. 9 Colorado Christian and No. 10 Missouri Southern. The seventh-ranked Greyhounds (36-2) and 10^th-ranked Lions (33-5) are on 13 and six-game win streaks.

Other notable movements in the rankings saw No. 17 Montevallo appear inside the top 20 for the first time and rise to its highest-ever national ranking and Franklin Pierce climbing three positions to No. 21 (tie). The Falcons (33-6) swept Delta State to run their win streak to 12 games, while the Ravens improved to 24-2 with six more wins last week and are on a 10-game winning streak.

Following a 4-4 week, then-No. 23 Shippensburg (18-10) dropped out of the top 25 for the first time this 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 April 5.

2026 NFCA/GoRout Division II Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll

Receiving Votes: Saginaw Valley State (6), Shippensburg (6), Charleston (3), Arkansas Tech (2), Florida Tech (2).

New to Poll: No. 25 UT Tyler

Dropped Out: No. 23 Shippensburg (18-10)

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 April 5.

NFCA D2 Top 25 Poll Committee

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NFCA Division II Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week

Flewelling, Ruffner collect 2026 Louisville Slugger/Wilson DII weekly honors

Emporia State’s Brooke Flewelling and Shepherd’s Madelayne Ruffner were named Division II Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player and Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week for contests played March 30-April 5.

Flewelling batted .667 with two doubles, a triple, three home runs, eight RBI and eight runs scored over four games for the Hornets last week. She slugged 1.750 and recorded a .765 on-base percentage. Flewelling launched two of those long balls and notched three RBI in game one versus University of Nebraska Kearney, and added another home run, and three RBI in game one against Fort Hays State.

Ruffner appeared in five of the Rams’ seven games last week, sporting a 3-0 record, while not allowing a run and striking out 40 batters in 18 innings of work.

She surrendered just four hits, walked two and earned a save. Ruffner no-hit Millersville on April 4, fanning a single-game program record 19 batters, improving on her own mark of 18 set last season.

The sophomore hurler earned her save, the sixth of her career (program career record), by striking out six in three innings of perfect relief against West Chester.

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 Nominated Performances
Lauren Beissel, Bemidji State – .778, 7 H, HR, R, 2 BB, 3 RBI; Vivian Billard, Barry – .579, 4 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 1.118 SLG, 7 R; Desi Cuevas, Augustana – .750, 9 H, 4 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 1.750 SLG, .786 OBP, SB; Emily Davis, Missouri Southern – 1-0, CG, 5 H, 9 K, .192 opp. BA; Abbey Duarte, Fort Hays State – .533, 3 2B, HR, 10 RBI, 5 R, .933 SLG; Lily Fournier, Cal Poly Humboldt – 2-1, SV, 0.74 ERA, 16 K, BB, 2 CG, 18.2 IP; Carson Hobbs, Anderson – .667, 6 H, 3 R, 4 RBI, 5 2B; Morgan Honeycutt, St. Cloud State – .500, 6 H, 3 HR, 5 R, 8 RBI, 3 BB, .600 OBP, 1.250 SLG; Sami Huck, McKendree – 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 14 K, 2 H, 2BB, CG, 7 IP; Kora Kilgore, Anderson – 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 K, 2 H, 0 BB; Addison Mass, Charleston – 2-0, 1 R, 5 K, BB; India McMurray, Southeastern Oklahoma – .556, 5 H, 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 4 R, .636 OBP; Maddy Moore, Adelphi – .611, 11 H, 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 1.166 SLG, game-winning home run at Southern New Hampshire; Taylor Nuckolls, Missouri Southern – .500, 2 H, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB; Olivia Wanser, Queens – .810, 1.455 SLG, 7 H, 3 HR, 4 R, 6 RBI, 10 BB, .857 OBP; Brooklyn Willis, UIndy – .571, 3 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 1.429 SLG.

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NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll

Marlins remain No. 1 in NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll

Unbeaten Virginia Wesleyan extended its win streak to 26 games to maintain its hold on the top spot in the NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll, the Association announced on Tuesday.

The (26-0) Marlins, who haven’t lost since last year’s NCAA Division III championship series, shut out Randolph-Macon twice in their only action this past week. Virginia Wesleyan amps up the schedule with a doubleheader at Meredith on Wednesday before returning home to host Averett and Guilford for twinbills this weekend.

Just two games as well for No. 2 Trine (17-1), which dealt the Marlins their last defeat in winning its second national title in the past three years last June. In their only action on Friday, the Thunder run-ruled Adrian twice. They play at Hope on Saturday in another two-game week.

Overall, the teams in the top 10 went 26-0 since last week’s ranking, including new No. 8 WashU and new No. 9 Belhaven. The (19-3-1) Bears overwhelmed NYU in a three-game set by a combined 22-2 margin to move up three spots, while Belhaven swept then-No. 8 Huntingdon on Friday to gain a poll-best nine places.

Stockton (20-2) gained four more spots after a 5-1 week that included a sweep of then-No. 14 Rowan.

Colby’s split with then-No. 10 Tufts allowed the (14-3) Mules to gallop all the way to the No. 19 spot from the receiving votes category. WPI (18-0) jumped into the Top 25 as well this week at No. 22 after remaining unbeaten with a 6-0 week.

Wartburg (18-8) is the only new name, earning votes after a Wednesday’s home sweep of then-No. 12 Simpson.

The NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll is selected by 10 NCAA Division III head coaches representing the 10 NCAA regions. Current 2026 records are listed, with first-place votes in parentheses.

NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll – April 7, 2026

Others receiving votes: Transylvania 3, Westfield State 3, Eastern 2 and Wartburg 2.

Dropped out: Concordia (Texas), Springfield and Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

2026 NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee

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NFCA Division III Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week

Blanch, Lee garner Wilson, Louisville Slugger Division III weekly honors

Williams’ Katie Blanch and Trine’s Emma Lee captured the latest Division III Wilson/NFCA Pitcher and Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player of the Week honors on Tuesday.

Blanch, a junior pitcher from Rye, N.Y., went 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA, three complete games, two shutouts, nine hits, two walks and 19 strikeouts over 20 innings in the circle. She fanned 10 in a three-hitter against Trinity, tossed a six-inning two-hitter versus Hamilton, and yielded just four hits (six strikeouts) in a victory over La Verne.

Lee, meanwhile, was a perfect 7-for-7 for the No. 2-ranked Thunder in a doubleheader sweep of Adrian. The senior center fielder from Cottage Grove, Wis., scored six runs, had two doubles, two home runs and seven RBI. She also made a leaping catch against the wall to nix a sure double.

Other Top Performances
Maddison Atkins, Lancaster Bible – 2-0, 2 SHO, 0.00 ERA, 12 IP, 2 BB, 10 K, plus .333 AVG, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 HBP; Bralyn Belk, Mary Hardin-Baylor – 1.000 AVG (5-for-5), 3 R, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI; Julia Boya, Eastern Connecticut State – .667/1.667/.800, 6 R, 2 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 4 BB, 4 SB; Maggie Closinski, MCLA – .474/.565/.500, 8 R, 4 2B, 5 RBI; Amelia DeRosa, Springfield – 2-1, 21 IP, 1.00 ERA, 3 ER, 27 K; Ella Ebert, Greensboro – 7 IP, 1 ER, BB, 4 K; Alexandra Espel, MCLA – .500/.529/.500, 6 R, 3 SB, 6 RBI; Anna Frazier, Greensboro – .571 AVG, 2B, SB; Hannah Gilbert, MCLA – .438, 8 R, 4 2B, 10 RBI, 6 BB; Kendall Jackman, Lancaster Bible – .615 AVG, 2 2B, 2 3B, inside-the-park HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB; McKenzie Jones, East Texas Baptist – 7 IP, 3 K, top-25 win over Concordia; Riley Kane, Western New England – 3 APP, 18.2 IP, 11 H, 12 K, no-hitter vs. RV Springfield, plus .500 AVG, 4 R, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB; Maya Knasiak, TCNJ – 2-0, 2 CG, SV, 0.00 ERA, 20 K, .054 OPP AVG, extended scoreless innings streak to 52, plus .500 AVG, 2 2B, HR, 7 RBI; Molly Kuhn, St. John Fisher – 4-0, 0.39 ERA, 19 IP, 23 K; Carly Mayhood, Hartford – 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 12 K, 15 IP, .118 OPP AVG; Hailey Mellec, Hope – 2-0, school-record and NCAA D3-best this season 19 K vs. Gustavus Adolphus, then 11 K next day against then-No. 23 Wisconsin-Eau Claire; Allie Mienaltowski, MCLA – 3-0, 2.58 ERA, SV, 19 IP, 9 K; Sidney Miller, Williams – .391 AVG, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 9 RBI; Elizabeth Mitchell, Eastern Connecticut State – 3-0, 1.91 ERA, 14.2 IP, 2 CG, 19 K, 2 BB, one-hitter (8 K) vs. Nichols, plus .333 AVG, 6 R, 4 RBI; Hannah Mitchem, MCLA – .400/.526/.400, 5 R, 3 RBI, 4 BB; Abby Moravek, Amherst – complete-game two-hitter (13 K) vs. Wesleyan (Conn.), plus .570 AVG, 2B, 3 RBI; Heaven Oliva, Tufts – .615 AVG, 3 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB; Lauren Ro, Amherst – .857 AVG, RBI; Bethany Rodman, Muskingum – two-hitter (4 K) vs. Ohio Northern; Karley Rouse, Belhaven – 2-0, 1.00 ERA, 3 H, 3 K, beat then-No. 8 Huntingdon twice; Harleigh Russell, Texas Lutheran – .714 AVG, 6 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 4 SB, 3 BB; Taylor Shackleton, St. John Fisher – .619 AVG, 11 R, 4 HR, 18 RBI; Noelle Simmons, Rhode Island College – .409 AVG, 8 R, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI; Aleyna St. Jean, East Texas Baptist – .667 AVG, 3 R, two multi-hit contests; Ashlyn Steen, Simpson – .538 AVG, 4 R, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 3 SB; Cara Taylor, Muskingum – .800 AVG, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB; Sarah Watts, Lynchburg – 1.000 AVG, 7 R, 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, SB; Paige Wilson, Pacific Lutheran – 3-0, 2 CG, SV, 16.2 IP, 1.26 ERA, 5 H, 19 K.

Winners are selected by the NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee, which has a representative for each of the 10 NCAA regions.

2026 Wilson/NFCA Division III National Pitcher of the Week

April 7 — Katie Blanch, Williams, Jr., P, Rye, N.Y.

March 31 — Katlyn Gandara, Redlands, Sr., RHP, Whittier, Calif.

March 24 — Hannah Hearl, Virginia Wesleyan, So., RHP, Orange County, Va.

March 17 — Rose Malen, Chapman, Sr., RHP, San Rafael, Calif.

March 10 — Hannah Hearl, Virginia Wesleyan, So., RHP, Orange County, Va.

March 3 — Katelyn Howard, Texas Lutheran, Sr., RHP, Waller, Texas

2026 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Player of the Week

April 7 — Emma Lee, Trine, Sr., CF, Cottage Grove, Wis.

March 31 — Paola Garcia, Pacific Lutheran, Sr., LF, Downey, Calif.

March 24 — Taylor McQueen, Virginia Wesleyan, Jr., C, Clayton, N.C.

March 17 — Anika Ewert, Bowdoin, Sr., CF, Newport Coast, Calif.

March 10 — Anslee Sauchegraw, Piedmont, Fr., SS, Covington, Ga.

March 3 — Reagan Hill, Randolph-Macon, Sr., 1B, Hanover, Va.

2026 NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee

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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.