For the first time ever, the Texas Tech Red Raiders softball team is able to boast about having a No. 1 ranking in a preseason poll. As Gerry Glasco and the Red Raiders get ready to get the 2026 Texas Tech softball season started in just a handful of days, the Red Raiders are carrying a lot of momentum (and some high expectations with them).
All of this comes as the Red Raiders had so much unprecedented success in 2025 where Texas Tech was just one win away from winning its first ever national championship in what was the Red Raiders’ first ever trip to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series.
Now, Texas Tech is being ranked ahead of the likes of the Texas Longhorns (who actually beat the Red Raiders in the Women’s College World Series finals) and the Oklahoma Sooners (which is a really big deal given that they’ve had a dynasty going lately).
Texas Tech Red Raiders claim top spot in 2026 preseason NCAA softball top 25 rankings from Softball America
First No. 1️⃣ ranking in program history! pic.twitter.com/1XU7dKSf8y
— Texas Tech Softball (@TexasTechSB) January 13, 2026
Here’s where the Red Raiders stand in the top 25 of the Softball America preseason rankings (spoiler alert, it’s at the very top of the rankings):
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Texas Longhorns
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Tennessee Lady Vols
- Oregon Ducks
- Florida State Seminoles
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- UCLA Bruins
- Clemson Tigers
- Florida Gators
- Nebraska Cornhuskers
- LSU Tigers
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Georgia Bulldogs
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- Arizona Wildcats
- Stanford Cardinal
- Oklahoma State Cowgirls
- Duke Blue Devils
- Mississippi State Bulldogs
- Washington Huskies
- Virginia Cavaliers
- Virginia Tech Hokies
- Ole Miss Rebels
That’s a pretty bold place to put the Red Raiders. Without even diving into the optics of placing Texas Tech ahead of the team that beat it in the Women’s College World Series finals, this is coming one season after the first time ever that the Red Raiders have managed to make it to the Women’s College World Series finals.
And last season’s success should serve as a foundation for the Red Raiders. At 54-14 overall and with a 20-4 record in Big 12 play, it’s worth remembering that Texas Tech has accumulated a rather significant amount of talent in the offseason to improve upon what the Red Raiders accomplished last season. That’s an exciting thing to think about.