College News: Texas Teams Tied Atop ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Preseason Poll (January 20, 2025)
By Brentt Eads
January 20, 2026
College News: Texas Teams Tied Atop ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Preseason Poll (January 20, 2025)
As the 2026 season begins, Texas and Texas Tech sit atop the Preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, tied at No. 1.
The Texas Longhorns are coming off a historic 2025 campaign, finishing 56-12 and capturing the program’s first NCAA Division I National Championship.
Joining them at the top is 2025 NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS) runner-up Texas Tech, which posted a 54-14 overall record last season and secured the Big 12 regular and post-season title.
Oklahoma checks in at No. 3 after closing the 2025 season with a third-place finish at the WCWS, a 52-9 overall record and the SEC regular season title.
Tennessee follows at No. 4 after compiling a 47-14 record and a WCWS semi-final appearance in 2025, while Oregon rounds out the Top 5 after a strong WCWS performance and a 54-10 season.
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) leads the 2026 Preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll with 12 teams represented.
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) follows with five teams, while the Big Ten places four, the Big 12 Conference has three and Conference USA is represented by one team.
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ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25
2026 Season – Preseason – January 20
Rank | Team | 2025 Conference | Â 2025 Record | Points | 2025 Final Ranking |
T1 | Texas (14) | SEC (16-8) | 56-12 | 611 | 1 |
T1 | Texas Tech (11) | Big 12 (20-4) | 54-14 | 611 | 2 |
3 | Oklahoma | SEC (17-7) | 52-9 | 564 | 3 |
4 | Tennessee | SEC (15-9) | 47-14 | 552 | 4 |
5 | Oregon | Big Ten (19-3) | 54-10 | 463 | 6 |
6 | Florida | SEC (14-10) | 48-17 | 457 | 7 |
7 | Florida State | ACC (18-3) | 49-12 | 450 | 9 |
8 | Arkansas | SEC (14-10) | 44-14 | 413 | 13 |
9 | Nebraska | Big Ten (17-5) | 43-15 | 411 | 12 |
10 | UCLA | Big Ten (17-5) | 55-13 | 407 | 5 |
11 | Texas A&M | SEC (16-7) | 48-11 | 323 | 15 |
12 | Clemson | ACC (19-5) | 48-14 | 302 | 11 |
13 | LSU | SEC (12-12) | 42-16 | 295 | 19 |
14 | South Carolina | SEC (12-11) | 44-17 | 293 | 10 |
15 | Georgia | SEC (7-16) | 35-23 | 289 | 17 |
16 | Alabama | SEC (12-12) | 40-23 | 285 | 14 |
17 | Stanford | ACC (16-8) | 42-13 | 220 | 22 |
18 | Arizona | Big 12 (17-7) | 48-13 | 194 | 18 |
19 | Duke | ACC (16-8) | 41-18 | 189 | 21 |
20 | Oklahoma State | Big 12 (13-9) | 35-20 | 136 | 25 |
21 | Virginia Tech | ACC (18-6) | 43-13 | 134 | 20 |
22 | Ole Miss | SEC (11-13) | 42-21 | 125 | 8 |
23 | Liberty | CUSA (23-3) | 50-15 | 76 | 16 |
24 | Mississippi State | SEC (13-11) | 39-19 | 75 | 23 |
25 | Washington | Big Ten (12-9) | 35-19 | 66 | — |
Parenthesis denotes first place votes.
Others receiving votes: Arizona State (27), Virginia (25), Ohio State (23), Grand Canyon (22), Florida Atlantic (19), Auburn (16), UCF (7), BYU (2), Michigan (2), Missouri (1), Northwestern (1)
By Conference:  12 – SEC, 5 – ACC, 4 – Big Ten, 3 – Big 12, 1 – CUSA
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