LOUISVILLE, Ky. – 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

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!