The 2026 college softball campaign begins on Friday, and ahead of the clay diamond action, The Athletic released its preseason rankings.
Following a trip to the Women’s College World Series last spring, the Florida Gators find themselves ranked No. 10 to open the season. Authors Molly Keshin and Stewart Mandel offered their logic for the Orange and Blue’s status.
“The third-seeded Gators suffered a shocking early exit in the 2025 WCWS and lost key players in Kendra Falby, Reagan Walsh and Korbe Otis. But returning outfielder Taylor Shumaker earned first-team All-America honors as a freshman, ranking second in the country in RBIs (86), while senior catcher Jocelyn Erickson has won back-to-back Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. In the circle, the Gators will run it back with Ava Brown and Keagan Rothrock.”
Florida is one of a dozen total Southeastern Conference schools among the top 25 and five among the top 10. The Texas Longhorns are the highest-ranked at No. 2 following their 2025 title, while the Oklahoma Sooners (No. 3), Tennessee Volunteers (No. 5) and Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 7) sit ahead of the Gators.
The remaining SEC programs included in the preseason rankings were the South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 12), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 13), Georgia Bulldogs (No. 15), LSU Tigers (No. 16), Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 18), Ole (No. 23) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 24).
The Florida State Seminoles, UF’s biggest in-state rival, check in ahead of the Gators at No. 6 to start the season.
The Athletic’s college softball preseason top 25
Just missed: Arizona State, Ohio State, Liberty, FAU, Grand Canyon
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida softball cracks The Athletic’s preseason rankings top 10
Reporting by Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
