For the first time since 2021, coach Patty Gasso and the OU softball team will open the season without the moniker of reigning Women’s College World Series champion.
After winning four consecutive NCAA titles, the Sooners faced a roster build in 2025 as their core group had exhausted eligibility. They went 52-9, won the SEC and made it all the way to the WCWS semifinals before falling to NiJaree Canady and Texas Tech.
With Ella Parker, Kasidi Pickering, Nelly McEnroe-Marinas and Gabbie Garcia returning, the Sooners enter Thursday night’s season opener at Arizona State with a core group who could lead the way back to the WCWS in Oklahoma City.
Here’s a look at where the Sooners are ranked entering the 2026 season:
Preseason college softball rankings for 2026
D1Softball preseason rankings
Rank, School
- 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
ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll
Rank, School (First-place votes), Points
- T1. Texas (14), 611
- T1. Texas Tech (11), 611
- 3. Oklahoma, 564
- 4. Tennessee, 552
- 5. Oregon, 463
- 6. Florida, 457
- 7. Florida State, 450
- 8. Arkansas, 413
- 9. Nebraska, 411
- 10. UCLA, 407
- 11. Texas A&M, 323
- 12. Clemson, 302
- 13. LSU, 295
- 14. South Carolina, 293
- 15. Georgia, 289
- 16. Alabama, 285
- 17. Stanford, 220
- 18. Arizona, 194
- 19. Duke, 189
- 20. Oklahoma State, 136
- 21. Virginia Tech, 134
- 22. Ole Miss, 125
- 23. Liberty, 76
- 24. Mississippi State, 75
- 25. Washington, 66
Jeff Patterson is the sports editor for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jeff? He can be reached at jpatterson@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jeffpattOKC. Support Jeff’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma softball rankings in preseason Top 25 polls for 2026 season
