Welcome back, softball fans. It’s officially spring! So not only are allergies at full force while all the flowers (finally) bloom, but one of the wildest sports weekends of the year has come and gone. Yes, the first weekend of March Madness is the perfect opportunity to kick back on the couch and watch sports beginning at 11 a.m. (depending on where you live) … but it’s also an even better time to really start tuning in to softball.
As more and more of your teams may be getting eliminated from the men’s and women’s tournaments (sadly, that’s the case for me), you now have the perfect remedy: turn to the stars on the diamond. Unless you’re like me, who was already watching softball religiously. But that’s besides the point. Let’s get to the actual important stuff: the nitty-gritty of conference play and how teams are really shaping up.
1. Oklahoma is on another level right now. Even if you don’t watch a lot of softball, you know the Sooners are a dynasty in the sport. Though they’re not the reigning champions, the Sooners continue to leave an indelible mark on the game, specifically with the long ball. In the rout that was Oklahoma’s series win over Ole Miss, the Sooners not only tallied their 21st straight win on the season but also broke the SEC’s single-season home run record. It’s not even April. In 34 games so far this year, Oklahoma has homered 129 times. Take a second and let that sink in. In the entire 2025 campaign, the Sooners tallied 121.
With two round-trippers in Monday’s 5-2 victory, OU now has 16 multi-homer games on the season, led primarily by the undeniable power of freshman catcher Kendall Wells (25 home runs), outfielder Ella Parker (15), shortstop Gabbie Garcia (15) and DH Kasidi Pickering (13). Not to be a downer, however, Oklahoma’s schedule has been somewhat of a breeze so far (with 26 run-rule victories to show for it), so it’ll be interesting to see if the trend continues when it faces the more formidable pitching staffs of LSU, Texas and Arkansas in the coming weeks.
everybody eats! reservations for four at home plate 🍽️
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) March 23, 2026
2. Say hello to the New No. 1. The reigning champion Longhorns are back on top — for now. Surprisingly, Texas has flown somewhat under the radar this season after its marquee matchups early on against Nebraska and Washington. But since an 8-5 loss to the Huskers on Feb. 7, the Longhorns have gone on a program-record 26-game winning streak. With two victories via the mercy rule over Baylor this weekend, Texas has notched 16 run-rule wins so far this season, 13 of which have come at home.
Katie Stewart, Leighann Goode and Kayden Henry are all off to hot starts at the plate, each with batting averages above .430; Stewart also leads the way for the Longhorns with 15 homers. As expected, Teagan Kavan, who currently has a 12-0 record with a 1.89 ERA and nine complete games, has been the workhorse in the circle. It’s still early, but the Longhorns are looking primed to return to OKC to defend their title.
3. It’s time to talk about Florida! Throughout the first month of the season, it really looked like nobody could take down Tennessee. Even last weekend, while Mississippi State surely gave the Vols their toughest challenge yet, it was still all Rocky Top after a 2-1 series victory. Then came the Gators. Florida took down coach Karen Weekly’s No. 1-ranked squad with a 2-1 series win, marking the first time Florida beat Tennessee in a series since taking two-of-three back in 2017. The Vols’ pitching staff had allowed only 12 home runs heading into the series. The Gators added four to that total, as Kenleigh Cahalan, Madison Walker, Cassidy McLellan and Taylor Shumaker each went yard. Shumaker is continuing what has been an incredible start to the year, hitting .500 on the weekend with two RBIs, two runs, a walk and that homer. The sophomore already has 35 career home runs and is just five shy of moving into the top 10 all-time for the Gators.
Meanwhile, the Gators’ hot start to conference play has been accomplished without two-way star Ava Brown, who hasn’t appeared in a game since Feb. 26 due to an apparent lower leg injury. Yet, Florida’s pitching staff seems to be just fine in the hands of junior Keagan Rothrock, who, in a team-leading 100 2/3 innings, has pitched to a 1.000 WHIP and held opponents to a .184 average. The SEC may be loaded, but if the Gators keep playing like this, they’ll really stand out.
4. Another wild statistical feat: In Florida State’s dominant series victory over ACC opponent Cal — the Seminoles took down the Golden Bears in three run-rule victories — junior shortstop Isa Torres played her way into the NCAA record book, becoming the first player ever to record a hit in 16 consecutive at-bats. Torres has a .642 average on the year with a .695 on-base percentage and 1.012 slugging percentage. She’s an incredibly tough out, and once she does get on base, her speed is impossible to ignore — she had an inside-the-park homer this season.
Also, keep your eye on the Seminoles, who are on a 17-game winning streak (though it’s interesting to wonder if that would still be the case if this past Wednesday’s much-anticipated matchup against Texas Tech weren’t canceled). They’ll face Clemson this weekend in conference play.
5. What’s on deck? Grand Canyon will have another telling test against a Big 12 foe in Arizona on Tuesday night for some top-25 midweek action before another marquee weekend awaits. Stanford and Duke will face off in a showdown of newer ACC softball powers as the Cardinal look to get back on track, while Megan Grant and UCLA head to Nebraska to take on Jordy Frahm and the Huskers. Texas A&M-Texas, Oklahoma-LSU and Florida-Arkansas are also on the docket, so get ready for another wild week.
RankTeamLast WeekOverallPrev WeekRPI
1
Texas
2-0
28-1
2
2
2
Texas Tech
3-0
30-2
3
8
3
Florida
2-1
31-2
6
4
4
Oklahoma
3-0
31-2
5
10
5
Tennessee
1-2
28-3
1
1
6
Alabama
3-1
29-2
4
5
7
UCLA
2-0
27-3
7
7
8
Arkansas
4-0
27-4
8
6
9
Nebraska
3-0
24-5
9
3
10
Florida State
3-0
28-4
10
11
11
Georgia
3-1
23-8
13
9
12
Virginia Tech
5-0
28-4
12
15
13
Mississippi State
2-2
29-6
11
13
14
Washington
4-0
26-6
16
17
15
Virginia
2-0
27-3
18
25
16
Arizona
2-1
23-8
14
14
17
Oregon
2-1
23-8
15
12
18
Texas A&M
3-1
22-9
19
23
19
Duke
4-0
22-10
21
24
20
Grand Canyon
3-1
33-1
17
29
21
Arizona State
1-2
23-9
20
30
22
LSU
3-1
21-10
25
16
23
Clemson
3-1
22-10
UR
19
24
UCF
1-3
24-10
23
26
25
Oklahoma State
3-1
21-10
24
28