LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Oklahoma, for the third straight year, starts the season as the No. 1 team in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Sooners, who three-peated as national champions, took home all 32 first-place votes and 800 points.

OU was ranked No. 1 over the final 11 weeks of the 2023 season and now have held the top spot in 43 of the last 44 polls. With a perfect 10-0 postseason run, the Sooners became just the second team in NCAA Division I to win three titles in a row (UCLA 1988-20) and head into 2024 with an Division I-record 53-game winning streak, which is just two shy of the NCAA record of 55 held by Northern Kentucky University when it was a Division II program. Tufts University holds the NCAA Division III record mark at 53.

They have won five of the last seven national championships and seven overall. Their .984 winning percentage (61-1) also eclipsed UCLA’s Division I record of .964 (54-2), which stood since 1992.

Along with Oklahoma, the Big 12 has three programs in the top-10 with Texas and Oklahoma State voted in at No. 8 and 9, respectively. Joining them with three top-10 teams – t-No. 3 Stanford, No. 7 Washington and No. 10 UCLA - is the Pac-12 which has all five national-ranked programs in the top 15 (No. 13 Utah, No. 15 Oregon).

National semifinalist Tennessee opens at No. 2, while national runner-up Florida State is matched with the other semifinalist and previously-mentioned Cardinal at No. 3. Super Regional participants Clemson, Georgia and Washington follow at Nos. 5, 6 and 7 with UCLA ranking No. 10. 

The Southeastern Conference led the way with nine nationally-ranked programs, matching their total for the second straight season. After the Pac-12’s five, there are four teams representing the Big 12 – Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma State and No. 22 Baylor - and three – to-No. 3 Florida State, No. 5 Clemson and No. 11 Duke - from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Big Ten also had multiple teams with No. 18 Nebraska and No. 20 Northwestern, while the Sun Belt Conference - No. 21 Louisiana - and the Mountain West Conference - No. 24 San Diego State represent their respective leagues.

On the opening weekend, No. 5 Clemson, No. 13 Utah and No. 15 Oregon and RV Liberty (24) will be part of the field at the 2024 NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla.

The 2024 USA Today / NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches with one representing each of the NCAA’s Division I Conferences. The first regular season poll will be revealed on Feb. 13 at 10:00 a.m. ET

2024 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll

January 30 (Preseason)

2024 USA Today / NFCA Division I
Top 25 Coaches Poll – 1/30/24 (Preseason)

Receiving Votes: Virginia Tech (78), Texas A&M (60), Wichita State (49), Liberty (24), California (6), Arizona (5), Boston University (5), McNeese State (5), Miami University (2), Charlotte (1).

The 2024 USA Today / NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches with one representing each of the NCAA’s Division I Conferences.

NFCA D1 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!