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2025 Season Is Nearly Upon Us

Several big stories surround the opening of the 2025 college softball season, which begins tomorrow for many leading teams.

  • Can Oklahoma make it five Women's College World Series national championships in a row? I recognize only a few names on the Sooners' 2025 roster. On NCAA.com's list of 10 players to keep an eye on, only one is from OU (Ella Parker, No. 8). Oklahoma is ranked No. 3 in the preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, behind No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Florida.
  • NiJaree Canady, the star pitcher who transferred from Stanford to Texas Tech with a million-dollar Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal, is No. 1 on the NCAA.com list. The Red Raiders have never before been a major national contender, but that could change this year, as the team is ranked No. 10 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.
  • Another star transfer pitcher, Jordy Bahl, is scheduled to return for Nebraska. After transferring last year from Oklahoma to Nebraska, Bahl suffered an ACL injury in the Cornhuskers' 2024 opener. Nebraska is ranked No. 16 in the preseason poll.
  • This season is also Year 1 of major conference realignment. Oklahoma and Texas have left the Big 12 for the SEC. UCLA (No. 6), Oregon (No. 23-tied), and Washington have left the Pac 12 for the Big Ten (B1G),* Arizona (No. 17) has joined the Big 12 to take on Oklahoma State (No. 4), Texas Tech, and a bunch of other schools, and Cal (No. 21) and Stanford (No. 23-tied) have joined, of all leagues, the Atlantic Coast Conference. Long-distance travel will be a major issue for the B1G and ACC. Several B1G teams (here and here) will play conference games in Oklahoma City in March, ostensibly to reduce travel and have a warmer-weather site for that time of year.

The biggest tournament of opening weekend appears to be the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida. Canady and Bahl will be there with their respective teams, as will other traditionally strong teams such as Tennessee (No. 5), Duke (No. 8), Missouri (No. 15), and Northwestern (No. 20).

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*USC also moved to the B1G, but the Trojans do not field a softball squad.

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