The NCAA softball top 25 rankings update comes as Alabama suffers its first series loss in SEC play, falling to Tennessee. This marks a significant moment for the Crimson Tide as they face back-to-back defeats for the first time this season.
Key points
Alabama Crimson Tide lost to Tennessee Lady Vols
This was Alabama's first series loss in SEC play this season
Alabama has dropped back-to-back games for the first time in 2026
Sage Mardjetko pitched a shutout against Alabama
Alabama is now two games behind in SEC standings
Alabama Crimson TideTennessee Lady VolsNCAA softball
New NCAA softball top 25 rankings entering regular season's final week
Week 12 of the 2026 NCAA softball season wrapped up with a modest upset of sorts in the SEC on Monday night.
The Alabama Crimson Tide (44-6, 16-5) suffered a series of firsts with a 4-1 loss to the Tennessee Lady Vols at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville. For coach Patrick Murphy's team, it marked the first time Alabama had dropped a series in SEC play this season.
Sunday's 2-0 loss to the Lady Vols and pitcher Sage Mardjetko marked the first time the Crimson Tide had been shut out in a game this season. Monday marked the first time in 2026 that saw Alabama drop back-to-back games, and the first time the Tide had fallen two games behind in the SEC standings.
With the Oklahoma Sooners completing a three-game sweep of the Georgia Bulldogs over the weekend, it's coach Patty Gasso's team that has the inside track to the SEC regular-season crown with just one weekend series left. The 2026 SEC Tournament begins May 2 in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Sooners (46-6, 18-3) have a two-game lead over both Alabama and the Florida Gators (45-7, 16-5) in the conference standings. Oklahoma will face Texas A&M (35-14, 15-6) in College Station beginning Thursday.
Alabama will look to close the regular season strong when it faces South Carolina (29-22, 7-14) at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa starting Thursday. Florida finishes up the regular season with a trip to Athens to face Georgia (34-16, 10-11).
Here's a look at where Alabama sits in this week's NCAA softball top 25 polls and national outlet rankings with one series remaining ahead of the conference tournament.
Q&A
What happened to Alabama softball in the latest SEC games?
Alabama softball lost back-to-back games to Tennessee, marking their first series loss in SEC play this season.
How did Alabama's recent losses affect their SEC standings?
The losses caused Alabama to fall two games behind in the SEC standings for the first time in 2026.
Who is the pitcher that shut out Alabama in their recent game?
Sage Mardjetko, a pitcher for the Tennessee Lady Vols, shut out Alabama in their 2-0 loss.
What are the implications of Alabama's performance entering the final week of the season?
Alabama's recent performance raises concerns about their momentum as they head into the final week of the regular season.
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Alabama jumped by new team in NCAA Softball Coaches Poll
In Tuesday's new NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll, Oklahoma remained No. 1 for the third consecutive week. Texas Tech held at No. 2 while the Nebraska Cornhuskers jumped Alabama within the top five, moving up one spot to No. 3. The Crimson Tide fell one spot to No. 4.
A new team joined the top five in the Coaches Poll: the UCLA Bruins, who rose one spot past Florida.
The Coaches Poll again features six SEC schools in the top 10 in Tuesday's rankings. The SEC continues to lead the way with 10 ranked teams overall in the top 25.
Here's a look at the full NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll rankings as of April 28.
Rank
Team
Record
Points
Previous
1
Oklahoma (25)
46-6
766
1
2
Texas Tech (4)
47-4
743
2
3
Nebraska (2)
40-6
702
4
4
Alabama
44-5
690
3
5
UCLA
44-5
690
6
6
Florida
45-7
620
5
7
Texas
38-8
579
7
8
Tennessee
39-8
554
8
9
Florida State
43-7
531
10
10
Arkansas
39-9
504
9
11
Oregon
38-10
420
12
12
Duke
38-13
405
14
13
Virginia Tech
41-9
398
13
14
Texas A&M
35-14
375
11
15
Stanford
34-12
345
16
16
Oklahoma State
34-12
18
17
Georgia
34-16
275
15
18
Mississippi State
36-15
249
17
19
Arizona
34-13
239
19
20
LSU
33-16
168
20
21
Grand Canyon
45-7
122
21
22
UCF
36-14-1
107
22
23
Virginia
36-12
87
23
24
Louisville
41-10
67
25
Arizona State
35-16
47
24
Others receiving votes:
Washington (24), Clemson (21), South Carolina (21), Southeastern Louisiana (18), Belmont (12), Omaha (10), Kansas (1)
Dropped out:
No. 25 Washington
Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy meets Tennessee softball coach Karen Weekly during before the start of the NCAA college softball game between the Tennessee Lady Vols and Alabama Crimson Tide on April 27, 2026.
Alabama's Jocelyn Briski (23) pitches against Tennessee in an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
Alabama's Jena Young (4) fields a ground ball during an NCAA college softball game against Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
Tennessee's Karlyn Pickens (23) pitches agaist Alabama batter during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
Tennessee's Emma Clarke (13) celebrates after hitting a double against Alabama in an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
Alabama's Jena Young (4) fields a ground ball during an NCAA college softball game against Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
Alabama's Jena Young (4) is forced out at first base by Tennessee's Emma Clarke (13) during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
Tennessee's Taelyn Holley (27) imitates smoking a cigar after hitting an RBI single against Alabama during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
Alabama's Kristen White (3) makes a catch for the out during an NCAA college softball game against Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
Alabama's Kaitlyn Pallozzi (18) pitches against Tennessee during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
Alabama's Audrey Vandagriff (12) and Salen Hawkins (47) miss the ball as they collide during an NCAA college softball game against Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
Tennessee's Karlyn Pickens (23) acknowledges catcher Elsa Morrison (22) after striking out an Alabama batter during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
1 / 12
Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady Vols
Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy meets Tennessee softball coach Karen Weekly during before the start of the NCAA college softball game between the Tennessee Lady Vols and Alabama Crimson Tide on April 27, 2026.
1 / 12
Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady Vols
Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy meets Tennessee softball coach Karen Weekly during before the start of the NCAA college softball game between the Tennessee Lady Vols and Alabama Crimson Tide on April 27, 2026.
2 / 12
Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady Vols
Alabama's Jocelyn Briski (23) pitches against Tennessee in an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
3 / 12
Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady Vols
Alabama's Jena Young (4) fields a ground ball during an NCAA college softball game against Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
4 / 12
Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady Vols
Tennessee's Karlyn Pickens (23) pitches agaist Alabama batter during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
5 / 12
Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady Vols
Tennessee's Emma Clarke (13) celebrates after hitting a double against Alabama in an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
6 / 12
Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady Vols
Alabama's Jena Young (4) fields a ground ball during an NCAA college softball game against Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
7 / 12
Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady Vols
Alabama's Jena Young (4) is forced out at first base by Tennessee's Emma Clarke (13) during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
8 / 12
Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady Vols
Tennessee's Taelyn Holley (27) imitates smoking a cigar after hitting an RBI single against Alabama during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
9 / 12
Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady Vols
Alabama's Kristen White (3) makes a catch for the out during an NCAA college softball game against Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
10 / 12
Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady Vols
Alabama's Kaitlyn Pallozzi (18) pitches against Tennessee during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
11 / 12
Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady Vols
Alabama's Audrey Vandagriff (12) and Salen Hawkins (47) miss the ball as they collide during an NCAA college softball game against Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
12 / 12
Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady Vols
Tennessee's Karlyn Pickens (23) acknowledges catcher Elsa Morrison (22) after striking out an Alabama batter during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.
Unanimous No. 1 in NCAA Softball top 25 polls, rankings entering stretch run
Alabama fell one spot to No. 3 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, as well as Monday's rankings from Softball America. The Crimson Tide dropped two spots to No. 4 in D1Softball's top 25 rankings.
Alabama softball schedule 2026
Alabama will face the South Carolina Gamecocks at Rhoads Stadium beginning Thursday. First pitch for Alabama-South Carolina in the series opener is 6 p.m. CT. All three games can be seen 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)