Winning isn’t a new concept to the group in Carbondale, Illinois.Southern Illinois softball has played in four of the last five NCAA tournaments, including being selected with an at-large bid in 2019. In 2022, ’23, and ’24, they got to the postseason on the back of a Missouri Valley conference championship.The Salukis know what it means to win and win a lot.Last season held some […]

Now three years removed from their appearance in an NCAA regional final, North Texas retooled their offense and welcomed a group of new faces as they aim for another conference title.

South Alabama made their second NCAA tournament appearance in four years last season. The Jags sport a young roster in 2025 after graduating two-thirds of their starting lineup and bringing in a dozen newcomers.

Five consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, three straight Super Regionals, and back-to-back World Series semifinals – that’s the summary of Stanford’s rise in the Jessica Allister era. The Cardinal built a strong foundation in her tenure over the last seven years, yet in many ways, this season feels like a new chapter for the program.This past May, Boyd and Jill Smith Family Stadium – the Cardinal’s […]

UCLA softball enters its 50th anniversary year in 2025 and one thing has already made itself clear: the most storied program in college softball history is focused on the future. Powered by a large class of newcomers, the Bruins celebrate their golden jubilee season while also preparing for their Big Ten debut.The 2025 campaign can be described in one word: change. But there’s a new […]

Florida could be even better than 2024, when it reached the WCWS. The Gators have experience under their belt and new talent ready to contribute.

Virginia Tech has become a postseason stalwart, a group that expects rather than hopes to hear their name called on Selection Sunday in May.

New faces abound in Chapel Hill, but this isn’t some sort of an expansion team. The Tar Heels have a quality group of returners who, combined with that infusion of new talent, could see some significant growth in year two of the Megan Smith Lyon era.

Back-to-back SEC champion Tennessee is deeper than ever, with ace Karlyn Pickens back in the circle and key transfers helping to plug some holes in the lineup.

FAU graduated six starters from last season’s championship squad. There are some familiar faces, but also plenty of new ones, as the Owls prepare to embark on their title defense.

After winning their unprecedented fourth consecutive national championship last season, the Oklahoma roster includes a lot of new faces and winning games will look different for the Sooners than it has over the last half-decade.

Following their second NCAA tournament appearance in the last three seasons, UNC Wilmington sports a new-look roster and a renewed mindset as they embark on their conference championship defense.

A senior class full of talent departed Oregon after last season, but the Ducks added a new group of key and crucial transfers and freshmen who will contribute as they look to make a deep postseason run.

A rash of injuries could have curtailed Arizona’s 2024 season before it started, but the Wildcats instead reached a Super Regional. Now back to full health, they’ll look to make another run this season.

Alabama “probably has the 20 best athletes” it’s ever had at one time. Expect to see the Tide use speed to try and return to Oklahoma City in 2025.

Some key pieces of last season’s FGCU championship squad are now graduated. The Eagles have a returning ace in the circle in Allison Sparkman, but what else is in store for the group from Fort Myers?

Amy Hogue’s word of the year is curious, one she admits should probably be that every year. But curiosity seems especially fitting this season for a Utah team that is coming off back-to-back postseason berths, but lost a lot of experience and talent.

There are a lot of changes at LSU on the field and in the dugout. The Tigers have a generational recruit in the circle and high hopes to develop a winning identity.

Omaha raised their profile on a national level with their eye-catching performance in last season’s Columbia Regional. The Mavericks now head into a 2025 season that presents both an opportunity and a challenge.

In year one of the Lindsay Leftwich era, NC State outperformed everyone’s expectations – maybe even including their own.The Wolfpack improved their RPI standing by more than 100 spots and were +12 in the win column. Thought to be a program at the very beginning of a total rebuild, Leftwich and her staff turned things around immediately.Wins over Clemson and Virginia Tech in conference play […]

Every fall, Marissa Young asks her team to decide on a motto for the year.Something unique to them.Most years, and definitely the past few years, the Duke coach had an idea of what the motto would be. She had teams led by upperclassmen, and she had a sense of where their heads were and how they were leaning.“But this team,” Young said, “I really have […]

Arkansas wasn’t happy with how last season ended. The Razorbacks are using that-along with some talented newcomers-as motivation for 2025.

The 2024 season was a breakthrough moment for the Saint Mary’s Gaels. The program won their first-ever West Coast Conference title and returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2010.A topsy-turvy WCC slate meant the championship hopes came down to the final week of the regular season and the Gaels did what they needed to, finishing just one game ahead in the […]

Before Kristi Bredbenner got to town in 2012, Wichita State had made just two NCAA tournament appearances and only one head coach in program history had a winning record during their tenure (that one coach was a fellow by the name of Tim Walton, by the way).Since Bredbenner arrived, the Shockers have won four conference titles and made five NCAA tournament appearances. The program has […]

Entering Bonnie Tholl’s third season at the helm, Michigan is a model of stability and continuity entering the 2025 season. Eight returning starters highlight the Wolverines’ roster as they get set to defend their Big Ten tournament title.

South Carolina is undergoing a major makeover with Ashley Chastain returning to coach her alma mater and several transfers joining the program.

Mississippi State has some holes to fill in the circle and at the plate, but the Bulldogs feel strong bonds developing throughout the fall.

USC Upstate returned to the NCAA tournament last season for the first time since joining the Big South. A returning nucleus of core players has the Spartans in good position to challenge for back-to-back appearances.

Dayton softball finally broke through last season, winning the Atlantic 10 tournament title and playing in the NCAA tournament for the first time.The Flyers boasted a core of homegrown, quality talent, something that has been a hallmark of head coach Cara Clark through her near-two decades leading the program.“It all starts with the recruiting process,” Clark said. “It starts with identifying players who fit our […]