Hogs Ranked Eighth in USA Softball/ESPN Preseason Top 25 Poll
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas softball was slated at No. 8 in the USA Softball/ESPN Preseason Top 25 Poll that was released on Tuesday morning.
The No. 8 ranking was the Hogs’ fifth consecutive top 15 ranking in the USA Softball/ESPN preseason poll. Arkansas was previously ranked 13th in 2025, 12th in 2024, sixth in 2023, and ninth in 2022. It marks the eighth consecutive season that the Razorbacks have appeared in the Top 25 of the USA Softball/ESPN Preseason Top 25 Poll.
The Razorbacks were one of 12 SEC programs to earn a spot in the poll, the most by any conference, followed by the ACC and Big Ten, which had five and four teams, respectively.
Arkansas opens its 30th season of play and 11th season under the direction of head coach Courtney Deifel in Conway, S.C., at the Kickin’ Chicken Classic (Feb. 6-8). The Razorbacks will commence the season by facing Virginia (9 a.m.) and Akron (11:30 a.m.) on Friday, Feb. 6. The Hogs are coming off a 44-14 mark in 2025, which featured their eighth-consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and fourth NCAA Super Regional appearance in program history, all of which have come under Deifel’s guidance
The Hogs return 349 total starts and 99.7 percent of innings pitched from a year ago, headlined by sophomore infielder Ella McDowell (58 starts, .352 avg., 10 2B, 7 HR, 54 RBI, .425 OBP), senior left-handed pitcher Robyn Herron (24 starts, 2.72 ERA, 18-7, 160 K), sophomore right-handed pitcher Payton Burnham (20 starts, 2.62 ERA, 16-2, 94 K) and senior center fielder Reagan Johnson (58 starts, .351 avg., 72 H, 20 SB, 53 R, .427 OBP). The Razorbacks also added a pair of transfers in two-time third-team NFCA All-America Dakota Kennedy in left field and two-time all-conference selection Tianna Bell at first base.
The USA Softball/ESPN Poll is among four nationally recognized polls in Division I College Softball. Arkansas previously checked in at No. 7 in the Softball America Preseason Poll last week and No. 8 in the D1Softball Preseason Poll this morning. The NFCA/GoRout D1 Coaches preseason poll will be revealed on Jan. 27.
| Week | Softball America | D1Softball | USA Softball/ESPN | NFCA/GoRout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preseason | No. 7 | No. 8 | No. 8 | TBD |
For schedule updates and other news, go to ArkansasRazorbacks.com, or follow @RazorbackSB on X, Instagram and Facebook.
2026 USA Softball/ESPN Preseason Top 25 Poll
T1. Texas (14)
T1. Texas Tech (11)
3. Oklahoma
4. Tennessee
5. Oregon
6. Florida
7. Florida State
8. Arkansas
9. Nebraska
10. UCLA
11. Texas A&M
12. Clemson
13. LSU
14. South Carolina
15. Georgia
16. Alabama
17. Stanford
18. Arizona
19. Duke
20. Oklahoma State
21. Virginia Tech
22. Ole Miss
23. Liberty
24. Mississippi State
25. Washington
Receiving Votes: Arizona State (27), Virginia (25), Ohio State (23), Grand Canyon (22), Florida Atlantic (19), Auburn (16), UCF (7), BYU (2), Michigan (2), Missouri (1), Northwestern (1)