1. Texas Tech, 2. Oklahoma, 3. Oregon, 4. Texas, 5. Tennessee, 6. Alabama, 7. Florida State, 8. Texas A&M, 9. South Carolina, 10. UCLA, 11. Clemson, 12. Arkansas, 13. Florida, 14. Nebraska, 15. Stanford, 17. Oklahoma State, 18. Virginia Tech, 19. Duke, 20. Arizona, 21. Georgia, 22. Mississippi State , 23. Auburn, 24. Virginia, 25. Liberty

With the softball transfer portal window closed — though plenty of players already in the portal have yet to make their decisions — rosters for the 2026 season are starting to come into focus.

After reaching the semifinals of the Women’s College World Series with a young, relatively inexperienced team, OU figures to be among the favorites to return to Oklahoma City once again.

Texas Tech, which beat the Sooners to advance to the WCWS Championship Series, where it fell to Texas, also will be among the favorites to win a title.

Here’s a look at The Oklahoman’s way-too-early top 25 for 2026:

1. Texas Tech

2025 record, finish: 54-14, WCWS runner-up

Adding Kaitlyn Terry from UCLA figures to allow the Red Raiders to keep Canady fresher going into the postseason — a scary proposition for any team in Tech’s way.

2. Oklahoma

OU's Ella Parker (5) celebrates with her teammates after hitting a home run in the first inning against Tennessee during the Women's College World Series on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

2025 record, finish: 52-9, WCWS semifinals

The Sooners have mostly stood pat in the portal so far, but did add LSU pitcher Sydney Berzon. Patty Gasso’s club also brings in a very highly touted recruited class.

3. Oregon

2025 record, finish: 54-10, WCWS quarterfinals

Melyssa Lombardi’s team brings back ace Lyndsey Grein and several other key players from this year’s WCWS run.

4. Texas

2025 record, finish: 56-12, WCWS champions

The Longhorns lose key players in Mia Scott, Joley Mitchell, but return a strong core that includes star pitcher Teagan Kavan and catcher Reese Atwood.

5. Tennessee

2025 record, finish: 47-17, WCWS quarterfinals

The Vols’ lineup has a few significant questions after Taylor Pannell transferred, but they return fireballer Karlyn Pickens, who should be able to lift them back to OKC.

6. Alabama

2025 record, finish: 40-23, super regional

The Crimson Tide had a mostly young lineup and generated plenty of offense in 2024. They bring back a strong core, bring in a highly touted incoming class and figure to be better in the circle next year.

7. Florida State

2025 record, finish: 49-12, super regional

The Seminoles ran into a buzzsaw in the super regional, facing Canady and Texas Tech, but battled through a tough season with Lonni Alameda’s health and nearly returned to OKC. The Seminoles should be in great position to return to the WCWS.

8. Texas A&M

2025 record, finish: 48-11, regional

The Aggies’ season ended in disappointing fashion after earning the No. 1 overall seed but being upset by Liberty in the regionals. But they’ve added a pair of Oklahoma State transfers — Tallen Edwards and Micaela Wark — and OU transfer Maya Bland, and figure to be in a strong position once again.

9. South Carolina

2025 record, finish: 44-17, super regional

The Gamecocks were one of the sport’s biggest surprises in Ashley Chastain Woodard’s first year and figure to be in strong position yet again.

10. UCLA

2025 record, finish: 55-13, WCWS quarterfinals

The Bruins lost Terry, but they bring back sluggers Jordan Woolery and Megan Grant so they should still have a strong chance to return to OKC.

11. Clemson

2025 record, finish: 48-14, super regional

The Tigers pushed Texas to the brink in the super regional before being edged out. Boston College transfer pitcher Abby Dunning figures to make a significant step forward now that she’s at Clemson.

12. Arkansas

2025 record, finish: 44-14, super regional

The Razorbacks lose quite a bit of punch from their 2024 team, but should still be within striking distance of a berth in OKC with a lineup led by Ella McDowell.

13. Florida

2025 record, finish: 48-17, WCWS

The Gators lost Mia Williams, who transferred to Texas Tech, but have added a trio of transfers from inside the SEC

14. Nebraska

2025 record, finish: 43-15, super regional

The Cornhuskers bring back Jordy Bahl, who figures to be dominant in the circle once again and figures to take a step forward offensively. Nebraska also adds another OU product — outfielder Hannah Coor.

Nebraska Cornhuskers pitcher Jordy Bahl, shown here in a Big Ten game against UCLA, struck out 10 in a regional championship game against Southeastern Louisiana on May 18. She also hit a two-run homer.

15. Stanford

2025 record, finish: 42-13, regional

After losing Canady, not much was expected from the Cardinal, but Jessica Allister’s team showed plenty of offensive improvement and was one of the surprises of 2025.

16. LSU

2025 record, finish: 42-16, regional

The Tigers took a hit when they lost Berzon to the Sooners, but bring in a very highly touted class that figures to have LSU among the top half of the SEC.

17. Oklahoma State

2025 record, finish: 35-20, regional

The Cowgirls had a disappointing finish in 2025, snapping their streak of WCWS appearances, but Kenny Gajewski’s team still has plenty of talent, especially with pitchers Ruby Meylan and RyLee Crandall returning.

Oklahoma State pitcher Ruby Meylan (66) pitches during a Big 12 softball tournament game between the Oklahoma State Cowgirls and the Arizona State Sun Devils at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Thursday, May 8, 2025.

18. Virginia Tech

2025 record, finish: 43-13, regional

Junior righty Sophie Kleiman, who went 12-2 with a 2.45 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings, looks to be ready to step into a bigger role, as does Emma Mazzarone, who went 11-3 with a 3.32 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 92 2/3 innings.

19. Duke

2025 record, finish: 41-18, regional

The Blue Devils bring back the majority of their roster from 2025, and adding Louisiana’s Mallory Wheeler and Incarnate Word’s Larissa Jacquez in the portal should bolster Duke’s pitching staff.

20. Arizona

2025 record, finish: 48-13, regional

The Wildcats were active in the transfer portal, with perhaps the two biggest additions being Iowa State transfer infielder Serenti Trice and Iowa pitcher Jalen Adams.

21. Georgia

2025 record, finish: 35-23, super regional

The Bulldogs struggled through much of the season but won their regional at Duke before falling to SEC rival Florida in three games in the super regional, then added UCLA’s Addisen Fisher in the portal to bolster their pitching.

22. Mississippi State

2025 record, finish: 39-19, regional

The Bulldogs added Southern Illinois catcher Anna Carder in the transfer portal. Carder hit .390 and earned Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors.

23. Auburn

2025 record, finish: 35-24, regional

The Tigers bring in a strong signing class for 2026 and have added a few key pieces in the transfer portal, including Florida transfer Kylie Shaw.

24. Virginia

2025 record, finish: 38-19, regional

Cavaliers top pitcher Eden Bigham returns after going 18-10 with a 2.34 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 146 1/3 innings last season.

25. Liberty

2025 record, finish: 50-15, super regional

The Flames gained plenty of attention after knocking off Texas A&M in the regional, but Dot Richardson’s program has been building toward this in recent years and should continue a strong trajectory.

Ryan Aber covers OU athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Ryan? He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @RyAber. Sign up for the OU Sooners newsletter to access more OU coverage. Support Ryan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.