LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tennessee opened Southeastern Conference action with a home sweep of then-No. 17 LSU to remain No. 1 in the 2026 NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll. For the second consecutive week, the Lady Vols (23-0) received all but one first-place vote.
Prior to the sweep of the Tigers, Tennessee edged Belmont in a pitcher’s duel at Sherri Lee Park Stadium. A first-inning run was all the Lady Vols needed in a 1-0 win, marking their lowest run total of the season for a squad that averages seven runs per game. UT’s offense came back to life against the Tigers, scoring 24 runs on 31 hits, nine of which left the yard.
Of the top 13, only Arkansas, which slipped to No. 8, suffered a defeat last week in its SEC series versus No. 15 Georgia. The only movement in the top 16 was No. 7 UCLA overtaking No. 8 Arkansas and No. 14 Virginia and No. 16 Texas A&M switching spots. Other programs that moved up more than one position this week were No. 17 Grand Canyon (27-0), No. 19 Stanford (14-6) and No. 22 UCF (22-5).
The seventh-ranked Bruins (21-3) ran their win streak 15 games, scoring 38 runs in a three-game Big Ten sweep of Wisconsin. The Cavaliers (22-2) posted a 3-1 week, which included an ACC series win at RV North Carolina. The Lopes continue to hold the best record in NCAA Division I following a five-game sweep of the San Diego Classic. The Cardinal swept Pitt in their Atlantic Coast Conference opening weekend, while the Knights went to Stillwater and took two of three from then-No. 19 Oklahoma State in Big 12 action.
No. 4 Alabama also stayed undefeated on the season with a SEC sweep at RV Ole Miss. Other programs with 10-plus game winning streaks in the top 25 are No. 2 Texas Tech (25-1), No. 3 Texas (22-1), No. 6 Oklahoma (24-2), No. 9 Florida State (21-4) and No. 11 Virginia Tech (21-2) with the Longhorns extending their streak to 20 courtesy of a road sweep at No. 23 South Carolina. Additionally, RV North Florida is riding an 11-game win streak.
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 March 8.
2026 NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll
3/10/26 (Week 5)
|
Rank |
School (First Place Votes) |
Points |
Record |
Prev. Ranking |
|
1 |
Tennessee (30) |
774 |
23-0 |
1 |
|
2 |
Texas Tech (1) |
739 |
25-1 |
2 |
|
3 |
Texas |
712 |
22-1 |
3 |
|
4 |
Alabama |
673 |
23-0 |
4 |
|
5 |
Florida |
646 |
25-1 |
5 |
|
6 |
Oklahoma |
618 |
24-2 |
6 |
|
7 |
UCLA |
577 |
21-3 |
8 |
|
8 |
Arkansas |
559 |
21-2 |
7 |
|
9 |
Florida State |
521 |
21-4 |
9 |
|
10 |
Nebraska |
486 |
18-5 |
10 |
|
11 |
Virginia Tech |
477 |
21-2 |
11 |
|
12 |
Mississippi State |
434 |
24-2 |
12 |
|
13 |
Arizona |
393 |
20-5 |
13 |
|
14 |
Virginia |
334 |
22-2 |
16 |
|
15 |
Georgia |
316 |
19-7 |
15 |
|
16 |
Texas A&M |
300 |
17-8 |
14 |
|
17 |
Grand Canyon |
286 |
27-0 |
20 |
|
18 |
Oregon |
233 |
18-7 |
18 |
|
19 |
Stanford |
199 |
14-6 |
21 |
|
20 |
LSU |
189 |
17-7 |
17 |
|
21 |
Oklahoma State |
174 |
17-7 |
19 |
|
22 |
UCF |
154 |
22-5 |
24 |
|
23 |
South Carolina |
65 |
15-9 |
23 |
|
24 |
Clemson |
53 |
16-8 |
25 |
|
25 |
Arizona State |
38 |
19-6 |
22 |
Receiving Votes: North Carolina (34), Duke (26), North Florida (22), Utah (10), Florida Atlantic (6), Michigan (6), Penn State (6), Belmont (5), Auburn (4), Ole Miss (3), Southeastern Louisiana (3).
New to Poll: N/A
Dropped Out: N/A
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 March 8.
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