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2026 Season Underway -- Likely to Look a Lot Like Last Year

The 2026 college softball season is now underway, with some teams having begun their seasons yesterday and many more doing so today. There is a broad consensus that three teams -- last year's WCWS champion Texas, WCWS runner-up Texas Tech, and four-peat champions Oklahoma (2021-2024)  -- are head and shoulders above the rest this year. The Longhorns are ranked No. 1 in most preseason polls (here and here), with the Red Raiders atop the Softball America poll. UT and Tech are tied for No. 1 in the ESPN/USA Softball poll. Oklahoma is a consistent No. 3 in the polls behind UT and Tech.

High-profile transfers continue to be one of the biggest stories in the sport, with the Red Raiders bringing in four of the top-rated ones (click here for full transfer list)

Tonight, in what I would consider the most exciting matchup of the opening weekend, Texas faces No. 9 Nebraska, who features star pitcher Jordy (Bahl) Frahm. As part of two Oklahoma championship teams (2022 and 2023), the then-Bahl recorded ERA's of 1.09 and 0.90, respectively (stats page). She then suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the 2024 opening game, her first as a Cornhusker transfer, then returned last year with a 1.56 ERA. Whether she can regain her previous form this season remains to be seen.

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