Red Raider fans chime in as Texas Tech softball ranked No. 2 in preseason top 25

Folks, the Texas Tech Red Raiders are starting the 2026 college softball season ranked at the same spot that they finished last season: No. 2 in the country. And while we can focus on that being a bittersweet sort of thing, it’s still something that we should celebrate and enjoy. 

There’s space to be annoyed that Texas Tech didn’t finish last season as the No. 1 team in the country and also to acknowledge that the Red Raiders have come a long way from where they were before Gerry Glasco was hired and before NiJaree Canady ended up in Lubbock. 

With Texas Tech not starting the season at No. 1 in the D1Softball Top 25 rankings, here’s how Red Raider fans are reacting. Generally speaking, it seems to be a bit better than I expected.

Texas Tech softball fans react as the Red Raiders earn the No. 2 rankings from D1Softball entering the 2026 NCAA softball season

I mean, yes, there is going to be some blaming of Texas. That’s how regional rivalries work. I honestly think it’s kind of healthy. We should blame the Longhorns for more things, in my opinion. I don’t know what all we should blame them for, but let’s find more things.

Back to the rankings for a minute. We’ve got some folks who are looking at this whole deal from a very optimistic sort of lens. And I can get on board with that. Let’s lean into superstition a little bit as we blame Texas and ensure that the Red Raiders don’t start the season cursed. That sounds great to me. 

And then we’ve also got some Texas Tech fans who are seemingly approaching this for what it is, the Red Raiders being considered the No. 2 team in the country. I can fully get on board with that.

Texas Tech has a lot of time to prove itself. The Red Raiders haven’t even started the season yet and they’re already carrying some lofty expectations with them. That feels pretty surreal and it’s also thrilling.