Texas A&M Softball Ranked No. 11 in Latest USA Softball Rankings

New year equals new beginnings.

The Texas A&M softball program has a new look to its roster after key departures, and it hopes to be even better than last season.

“I can see the vision,” Ford said. “I can see what we are building here and how we’re going to sustain greatness because I don’t want to just be good for one year. I want to be good every single year.”

This is the fourth year in a row the Aggies have been in the Top 25 under head coach Trisha Ford, starting last season at No. 7 before becoming the No. 1 team in the nation and earning the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

2026 Season Overview

Ags in the polls 📊#GigEm | @USASoftball pic.twitter.com/7dRMEWmnkN
— Texas A&M Softball (@AggieSoftball) January 20, 2026

The lineup is going to look different, but Ford and her coaching staff cooked in the transfer portal and held onto most of the players with eligibility remaining.

In the pitching room, Emiley Kennedy and Emily Leavitt are no longer with the team due to graduating, but pitchers like Grace Sparks and Sydney Lessentine, who were a big piece of the puzzle, are still with the team.

Other key pieces that are no longer in Aggieland include Mac Barbara, Koko Wooley, Kramer Eschete, and Allie Enright. Hitting the transfer portal were Kylei Griffin and Amari Harper.

“I think this year, we’re going to be reloading, but I also feel like we’re going to compete, and I love the underdog mentality of like, ‘OK, you know, we’re 14, that’s fine, like, we’re just going to put our heads down and work,’” Ford said. “And so I think we’re in a good spot. I think we’re going to surprise some people, and I think we’re going to have some bumps this year, but I do think we have the pieces to be really competitive.”

Seven newcomers filled the holes that needed to be addressed over the offseason, with three new freshmen. Bringing in several stars might get the program to the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) for the first time in Ford’s tenure with the Maroon and White.

Those additional pieces included Oklahoma State transfers Tallen Edwards and Micaela Wark, Oklahoma transfer Maya Bland, and former five-star Paislie Allen from Georgia. Additionally, Texas State transfer Harley Vestal, Taylor Pannell, who was the NCAA leader in saves, and Softball America’s Top 100 freshman Maddie Sauni get to now call College Station home.

There are currently twelve teams that are in the USA Softball Top 25 that A&M will take on this season, with two other schools that received votes. Opening Day will be on February 5 against ACU at 4:30 p.m., part of the Aggie Classic, with No. 1 Texas Tech in attendance, giving A&M the first-ranked test of the season.