LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Nebraska secured the No. 1 spot in the final NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll of the 2026 regular season. It marked the first time in program history the Huskers are atop the NFCA rankings after completing the Big Ten double.
Riding a Division I-best 21-game win streak, Nebraska swept through the Big Ten tournament with wins over Michigan, Indiana and new-No. 5 UCLA in the title game. The Huskers earned the No. 4 overall seed and will host an NCAA Regional for the first time since 2013. Not only is this the first No. 1 ranking, Nebraska is the first Big Ten program to hold the top ranking since Minnesota in 2017 (May 16).
No. 2 Oklahoma, which fell to new-No. 16 Georgia in the SEC quarterfinals, is the NCAA’s No. 3 overall seed and will host its 15th-consecutive NCAA Regional.
The NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed and SEC Tournament runner-up Alabama moved up one spot to No. 3. The Crimson Tide (49-7) topped then-No. 9 Arkansas and then-No. 7 Florida before falling to new-No. 6 Texas in the championship game. Alabama will be hosting its 21st straight NCAA Regional.
Texas Tech, the Big 12 tournament runner-up, dropped one position to No. 4 and is the tournament No. 11 overall seed. The Red Raiders (52-6) cruised to shutout out win over Baylor and RV Kansas before being shut out by new-No. 19 Arizona State in the title matchup.
UCLA comes in at No. 5 after falling in the Big 10 title game to Nebraska, a contest which witnessed history as Megan Grant launched her NCAA-record 38th home run against the Huskers. The Bruins (47-8), who topped Penn State and pummeled Wisconsin, will be the No. 8 overall seed and are making their record 41st NCAA tournament appearance.
Texas elevated to No. 6 after the Longhorns defeated Alabama, 7-1, to claim the program’s first SEC Tournament crown. The run to the championship earned Texas the NCAA’s No. 2 overall seed.
Florida State collected the program’s 20th Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title with a 2-1 victory over new-No. 11 Virginia Tech. The Seminoles (49-8) are the No. 9 overall seed and hosting for the 12th consecutive season.
Rounding out the top 10 are No. 8 Tennessee, No. 9 Florida and No. 10 Arkansas, who are the NCAA’s No. 10, No. 6 and No. 5 national seeds.
Other ranked programs – No. 12 Oregon, No. 13 Duke, No. 15 Oklahoma State, No. 16 Georgia, No. 17 Texas A&M and No. 18 LSU – earned NCAA national seeds.
The 2026 NCAA Division I softball tournament opens this Friday, May 15 at 16 regional sites and concludes at the Women’s College World Series, May 28-June 5, in Oklahoma City, Okla.
The final poll will be revealed on June 9 after a national champion is crowned.
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 May 10.
2026 NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll
5/12/26 (Week 14)
|
Rank |
School (First Place Votes) |
Points |
Record |
Prev. Ranking |
|
1 |
Nebraska (26) |
768 |
46-6 |
2 |
|
2 |
Oklahoma (2) |
720 |
48-8 |
1 |
|
3 |
Alabama (2) |
707 |
49-7 |
4 |
|
4 |
Texas Tech (1) |
671 |
52-6 |
3 |
|
5 |
UCLA |
629 |
47-8 |
6 |
|
6 |
Texas |
603 |
42-10 |
9 |
|
7 |
Florida State |
600 |
49-8 |
8 |
|
8 |
Tennessee |
583 |
42-10 |
5 |
|
9 |
Florida |
561 |
48-10 |
7 |
|
10 |
Arkansas |
494 |
42-11 |
10 |
|
11 |
Virginia Tech |
437 |
46-10 |
13 |
|
12 |
Oregon |
424 |
40-12 |
11 |
|
13 |
Duke |
404 |
39-14 |
12 |
|
14 |
Stanford |
357 |
37-13 |
14 |
|
15 |
Oklahoma State |
306 |
38-15 |
16 |
|
16 |
Georgia |
298 |
38-18 |
17 |
|
17 |
Texas A&M |
284 |
36-17 |
15 |
|
18 |
LSU |
219 |
37-17 |
18 |
|
19 |
Arizona State |
191 |
41-16 |
24 |
|
20 |
Mississippi State |
187 |
38-18 |
19 |
|
21 |
Grand Canyon |
175 |
52-8 |
21 |
|
22 |
Arizona |
162 |
35-16 |
20 |
|
23 |
UCF |
81 |
38-16-1 |
22 |
|
24 |
Virginia |
74 |
38-13 |
23 |
|
25 |
Louisville |
66 |
44-12 |
25 |
Receiving Votes: Belmont (52), USF (15), Ole Miss (2), South Carolina (2), Southeastern Louisiana (2), Omaha (1).
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 May 10.
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