Where Alabama Softball is Picked in Preseason SEC Coaches Poll

The Crimson Tide was predicted to finish in the lower half of the Southeastern Conference.

May 6, 2025; Athens, GA, USA; Alabama infielder Abby Duchscherer (10) reacts to a hit during a game against Auburn at Jack Turner Softball Stadium. | Mady Mertens-Imagn Images

The Southeastern Conference softball coaches released their preseason predictionss Thursday morning, and Alabama was picked to finish ninth in the league this season. Defending national champion Texas was predicted to win the league while Kentucky was picked to finish last.

Alabama is entering its 30th season as a program and 28th season under head coach Patrick Murphy. The Crimson Tide roster features six freshmen, four sophomores, four juniors and seven seniors. Alabama added two transfer in Iowa infielder Jena Young and Houston infielder Brooke Wells.

The Crimson Tide is ranked preseason No. 16 in the USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll.

Sophomore outfielder Audrey Vandagriff was selected by the SEC coaches to the 2026 All-SEC Preseason Softball Team, which was also released on Thursday. She is the only player representing the Crimson Tide. Oklahoma and Texas tied with the most representatives on the list with four each.

Last season, Alabama was predicted to finish 10th in the preseason poll and did finish 10th with a 12-12 record in SEC play. Despite finishing 10th in SEC play, Alabama was the No. 15 national seed in the NCAA tournament and advanced to super regionals before losing to No. 2 Oklahoma.

Every SEC program except for Missouri made the NCAA tournament last season. The SEC had seven of the top eight overall seeds and nine total national hosts in 2025 with Texas eventually winning the national title.

Alabama opens the 2026 season on Thursday, Feb. 5 against Villanova at the Buzz Classic in Atlanta. The home opener is Feb. 13 against Purdue at 4 p.m. CT.

As a reminder, there are only 15 SEC softball teams because Vanderbilt does not have a program. This year's SEC tournament will be at Kentucky from May 5-9.

2026 SEC Softball Preseason Coaches Poll

(Preseason ranking, team, first-place votes, points received)

1. Texas (9)- 189
2. Oklahoma (6)- 186
3. Tennessee- 166
4. Florida- 144
5. Arkansas- 137
6. Texas A&M- 125
7. LSU- 119
8. Georgia- 105
9. Alabama- 94
10. South Carolina- 90
11. Mississippi State- 65
12. Auburn- 55
13. Ole Miss- 51
14. Missouri- 32
15. Kentucky- 17

2026 All-SEC Preseason Softball Team

Audrey Vandagriff, Alabama
Robyn Herron, Arkansas
Ella McDowell, Arkansas
AnnaLea Adams, Auburn
Jocelyn Erickson, Florida
Keagan Rothrock, Florida
Taylor Shumaker, Florida
Maci Bergeron, LSU
Tori Edwards, LSU
Persy Llamas, Ole Miss
Gabbie Garcia, Oklahoma
Nelly McEnroe-Marinas, Oklahoma
Ella Parker, Oklahoma
Kasidi Pickering, Oklahoma
Arianna Rodi, South Carolina
Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee
Reese Atwood, Texas
Kayden Henry, Texas
Teagan Kavan, Texas
Katie Stewart, Texas
Miya Perez, Texas A&M