The pressure that comes with defending a national title is not for the weak or faint of heart. Texas softball will embrace the challenge in 2026, and its position in the preseason rankings has only increased the already lofty expectations surrounding this team.
The Longhorns have been ranked No. 1 by D1 Softball and ESPN.com/USA Softball, earning the outright top spot on D1 Softball’s rankings and tying for first with Texas Tech on the ESPN.com and USA Softball poll.
The hope, then, seems to be that the external noise surrounding this team, entering the season on top of the polls, doesn’t negatively hinder its ability to build toward success from an internal standpoint. However, head coach Mike White actually believes the target on his team’s back might not be such a bad thing.
“There is going to be a target on us for sure,” White said. “Everyone’s going to want to beat the defending national champions, and that’s good. That brings out a little bit of pressure, but pressure is a privilege, and we’re privileged to be the defending national champion.”
If pressure really is a privilege, the Longhorns are at privilege’s pinnacle. This is their highest preseason ranking in program history, holding the No. 1 position across multiple credible ranking sites.
That being said, experienced Texas players recognize that holding a top spot in January doesn’t necessarily translate to success in late May and early June at the Women’s College World Series.
“We’re worried about what happens in May, April, June, and so right now really is not our current concern,” junior infielder and catcher Katie Stewart said.
These rankings obviously don’t determine where a team will be by April, May or June, but they typically give a pretty strong idea of where teams stand before their seasons start. Last season, the Longhorns were ranked No. 1 by ESPN.com and USA Softball, and they managed to find themselves in the national championship. The same happened to Red River rival, Oklahoma, in both 2023 and 2024.
While this is a positive sign for Texas, it’s hard to trust preseason rankings alone. For some Texas fans, the football season added a level of distrust in rankings coming out before a team makes an appearance on the field for game one.
Luckily for those fans, the wait to see what their team is actually capable of dwindles by the day. Texas kicks the season off against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Feb. 6 in San Antonio, Texas.
The Longhorns are set to begin Southeastern Conference play on March 6 against the South Carolina Gamecocks, and the big rivalry series between the Sooners and Longhorns will take place from April 10-12 in front of the Longhorns’ home crowd in Austin.
Texas softball seems to have the puzzle pieces to assemble another strong season, but more will be revealed once they are battle tested against other powerhouse programs.
