LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Highlighted by a sweep of then-No. 15 Georgia, Oklahoma strengthened its hold on No. 1 in this week’s 2026 NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll. Texas Tech remains at No. 2 with Nebraska moving past Alabama for the No. 3 spot.

The Sooners (46-6) added four wins to their ledger last week, blanking Arkansas Pine Bluff, 9-0, and taking all three from the Bulldogs (34-16) to move into sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference standings with one week left in the regular season. 

The Red Raiders (47-4) ran through UTEP on the road before sweeping then-No. 24 Arizona State in Tempe to clinch the Big 12 regular season title outright for the second consecutive year.

The third-ranked Cornhuskers (40-6) reached the 40-win plateau and extended their win streak to 13 with a big win on the road at RV Omaha, 11-4, in front of a sold-out crowd at Connie Claussen Field and a three-game Big Ten sweep of Iowa, capping it off with a 13-0 victory. Nebraska heads into the final weekend with one and two-game leads over No. 5 UCLA and No. 11 Oregon. The Huskers are on the road at Penn State, while the Bruins (44-5) and Ducks (38-10) duke it out at Easton Stadium.

Alabama dropped a spot to No. 4. The Crimson Tide (44-5) were on both ends of shutouts this week. They blanked UAB, 6-0, and No. 8 Tennessee, 12-0, before the Lady Vols (39-8) returned the favor with a 1-0 victory in a near no-hitter by UT’s Sage Mardjetko.

Previously-mentioned UCLA traveled to Seattle and swept then-No. 25 Washington. No. 6 Florida stepped out of SEC play last week as it dropped a 3-1 affair at new-No. 9 Florida State. The rematch will take place in Gainesville tonight at 7:00 pm. They also blanked No. 22 UCF by identical 7-0 scores in a home-and-home with the Knights (36-14-1).

The Seminoles (43-7) secured a three-game ACC sweep of Georgia Tech in Atlanta, highlighted by Jazzy Francik’s no-hitter in the opener. FSU (18-3) sits in first place in the league ahead of Duke (20-4) on winning percentage. The Noles close out their ACC season at Boston College, while the Blue Devils have already finished ACC play.

Arkansas dropped a spot to No. 10 following a 3-1 week, picking up a road win at Tulsa and collecting an SEC series victory at Missouri. 

No. 11 Oregon and No. 12 Duke continued their steady progressions up the poll and are just outside the top 10. No. 15 Stanford and No. 16 Oklahoma State also improved this week as well.

No. 24 Louisville makes its first appearance in the rankings since Feb. 11, 2014 . The Cardinals (41-10) also reached the 40-win mark following an ACC sweep of Syracuse.

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 26.

2026 NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll

4/28/26 (Week 12)

Receiving Votes: Washington (24), Clemson (21), South Carolina (21), Southeastern Louisiana (18), Belmont (12), Omaha (10), Kansas (1). 

Dropped Out: No. 25 Washington (34-15)

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 26.

NFCA DI Top 25 Poll Committee

The NFCA is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded coaches polls and All-America awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to awards, to in-person events and National Convention. 

Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining our lineup of over 7,000 coaches today!