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Week 11 of the 2026 NCAA softball season was a wild one.
Each of the top three teams in the NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll lost nonconference games in midweek action. The second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide suffered a bizarre 3-2 loss to the Samford Bulldogs on Tuesday in Birmingham.
One night later, the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners fell to Oklahoma State, and No. 3 Texas Tech suffered a 3-0 shutout loss at Texas State. Both Alabama and Oklahoma rallied for series wins in SEC play over the weekend. The Crimson Tideswept last-place Kentucky on Sunday, and the Sooners took two of three from No. 8 Arkansas.
Alabama (42-4 overall, 15-3 conference) tied Oklahoma (42-6, 15-3) atop the SEC standings with two weekend series remaining for each team before the conference tournament begins on May 5 in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Tide and Sooners won't meet in the regular season, but Alabama visits Tennessee beginning Saturday while Oklahoma hosts Georgia starting Friday in separate top-25 series.
It's shaping up to be a memorable race for both the SEC regular-season title and conference tournament championship, as well as seeding for NCAA Tournament regionals and Super Regionals.
Yet with Oklahoma's 2-2 week, which included losing three of four games before Sunday's 11-1 win over Arkansas, coupled with Alabama's first loss in midweek play, there's a new No. 1 team Softball America top 25 rankings for the fourth consecutive week.
One team that was immune to any wackiness was in the Big Ten, where the Nebraska Cornhuskers swept Minnesota over the weekend for their 11th straight win and third straight sweep in conference play. Nebraska (36-6 overall, 17-1 conference) rose two spots to No. 1 after outscoring the Gophers, 32-4, in Minneapolis.
As for Alabama and Oklahoma, the SEC's top two teams in the standings each fell one spot apiece. The Sooners dropped to No. 2 with the Crimson Tide at No. 3. Texas Tech stayed at No. 4, and UCLA rose one spot to round out the top five.
Here's a look at the full top 25 rankings from Softball America on April 20.
Alabama will face UAB (20-26) at Mary Bowers Field in Birmingham on Tuesday in midweek play. First pitch for Alabama-UAB is 6 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on ESPN+.
The Crimson Tide then visit the Lady Vols (37-7) for their next three-game series in SEC play. First pitch for Saturday's series opener is 3 p.m. CT. Game 1 of the series will stream on SEC Network+. Game 2 will be televised on ESPN2, and Game 3 will broadcast on SEC Network.
Here's a look at Alabama's 2026 SEC softball schedule with final scores and scheduled start times. All times Central.
Record: 42-4 overall, 15-3 SEC.
Follow us at @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook, for ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama, Oklahoma fall from top spots in NCAA softball top 25 rankings
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Each of the top three teams in the NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll lost nonconference games in midweek action. The second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide suffered a bizarre 3-2 loss to the Samford Bulldogs on Tuesday in Birmingham.
One night later, the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners fell to Oklahoma State, and No. 3 Texas Tech suffered a 3-0 shutout loss at Texas State. Both Alabama and Oklahoma rallied for series wins in SEC play over the weekend. The Crimson Tideswept last-place Kentucky on Sunday, and the Sooners took two of three from No. 8 Arkansas.
Alabama (42-4 overall, 15-3 conference) tied Oklahoma (42-6, 15-3) atop the SEC standings with two weekend series remaining for each team before the conference tournament begins on May 5 in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Tide and Sooners won't meet in the regular season, but Alabama visits Tennessee beginning Saturday while Oklahoma hosts Georgia starting Friday in separate top-25 series.
It's shaping up to be a memorable race for both the SEC regular-season title and conference tournament championship, as well as seeding for NCAA Tournament regionals and Super Regionals.
Yet with Oklahoma's 2-2 week, which included losing three of four games before Sunday's 11-1 win over Arkansas, coupled with Alabama's first loss in midweek play, there's a new No. 1 team Softball America top 25 rankings for the fourth consecutive week.
Softball America top 25 rankings: New No. 1 team after wild week in SEC
One team that was immune to any wackiness was in the Big Ten, where the Nebraska Cornhuskers swept Minnesota over the weekend for their 11th straight win and third straight sweep in conference play. Nebraska (36-6 overall, 17-1 conference) rose two spots to No. 1 after outscoring the Gophers, 32-4, in Minneapolis.
As for Alabama and Oklahoma, the SEC's top two teams in the standings each fell one spot apiece. The Sooners dropped to No. 2 with the Crimson Tide at No. 3. Texas Tech stayed at No. 4, and UCLA rose one spot to round out the top five.
Here's a look at the full top 25 rankings from Softball America on April 20.
| Rank | Team | Record | Last Week |
| 1 | Nebraska | 36-6 | 3 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | 42-6 | 1 |
| 3 | Alabama | 42-4 | 2 |
| 4 | Texas Tech | 42-4 | 4 |
| 5 | UCLA | 41-5 | 6 |
| 6 | Arkansas | 36-8 | 5 |
| 7 | Florida | 44-6 | 7 |
| 8 | Texas | 34-7 | 8 |
| 9 | Texas A&M | 34-12 | 11 |
| 10 | Duke | 35-12 | 14 |
| 11 | Tennessee | 37-7 | 9 |
| 12 | Florida State | 39-7 | 12 |
| 13 | Georgia | 33-12 | 13 |
| 14 | LSU | 32-14 | 15 |
| 15 | Oregon | 35-9 | 17 |
| 16 | Virginia Tech | 38-8 | 10 |
| 17 | UCF | 35-12-1 | 20 |
| 18 | Oklahoma State | 30-12 | 22 |
| 19 | Arizona | 31-13 | 16 |
| 20 | Stanford | 30-12 | 21 |
| 21 | Mississippi State | 34-14 | 18 |
| 22 | Louisville | 38-9 | 25 |
| 23 | Washington | 34-12 | 19 |
| 24 | Clemson | 30-17 | NR |
| 25 | Southeastern | 41-11 | 23 |
Alabama softball schedule 2026: Who do Crimson Tide play next?
Alabama will face UAB (20-26) at Mary Bowers Field in Birmingham on Tuesday in midweek play. First pitch for Alabama-UAB is 6 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on ESPN+.
The Crimson Tide then visit the Lady Vols (37-7) for their next three-game series in SEC play. First pitch for Saturday's series opener is 3 p.m. CT. Game 1 of the series will stream on SEC Network+. Game 2 will be televised on ESPN2, and Game 3 will broadcast on SEC Network.
Here's a look at Alabama's 2026 SEC softball schedule with final scores and scheduled start times. All times Central.
- March 6-8: at Ole Miss (W, 5-3; W, 13-2; W, 2-1)
- March 13-15: vs. Arkansas (W, 4-1; L, 14-9; W, 4-1)
- March 20-22: at Missouri (W, 2-1; L, 5-2; W, 7-4)
- April 2-4: vs. Texas (L, 9-1; W, 11-4; W, 7-4)
- April 10-12: at Auburn (W, 1-0; W, 4-0; W, 9-1)
- April 17-19: vs. Kentucky (W, 9-0, W, 5-4; W, 4-0)
- April 25-27: at Tennessee (3 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, 6 p.m. Monday)
- April 30-May 2: vs. South Carolina (6 p.m. Thursday, 6 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Sunday)
- May 5-9: SEC Tournament (Lexington, Kentucky)
Record: 42-4 overall, 15-3 SEC.
Follow us at @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook, for ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama, Oklahoma fall from top spots in NCAA softball top 25 rankings
Continue reading...
