Breaking Down Texas Tech Softball’s Highly Anticipated 2026 Schedule

Texas Tech's softball unveiled its 2026 schedule on Tuesday. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After a shocking run to the championship series against the Texas Longhorns, the Texas Tech Red Raiders have reloaded for 2026 and unveiled their highly anticipated schedule for the upcoming season on Tuesday.

Texas Tech is looking to bring the program's first national title back to Lubbock, and the road to Oklahoma City for the Red Raiders starts Feb. 5, 2026.

The Red Raiders will play 19 home games, including four Big 12 series, 15 neutral-site games, and 21 away games.

Power 4 Opponents

Outside of the Big 12, Texas Tech will only play against five other Power 4 opponents. The Red Raiders will face Texas A&M in College Station at the Texas A&M Tournament on Feb. 7. They will see Florida State, Northwestern, North Carolina State, and Nebraska as part of the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational.

Texas Tech will see Florida State for a second time on March 18 in a mid-week clash before playing a three-game series at Central Florida during conference play.

Big 12 Opponents

In one of the biggest surprises of the Big 12 conference slate, the Red Raiders will avoid playing the Oklahoma State Cowgirls.

The conference schedule includes eight three-game series beginning on March 5 and will wrap at the Big 12 Tournament presented by Allstate at OGE Energy Field at Devon Park on May 7.

Here is what the conference schedule looks like for the Red Raiders:

• March 6-8 at Houston
• March 13-15 vs Arizona
• March 20-22 at UCF
• March 27-29 vs Iowa State
• April 2-4 vs BYU
• April 10-12 at Utah
• April 24-26 at Arizona State
• May 1-3 vs Baylor

Can't come soon enough!

Renew your season tickets or join the waitlist here:
🎟️https://t.co/wzJlEFdD3C pic.twitter.com/iJnnrH6xxJ

— Texas Tech Softball (@TexasTechSB) October 28, 2025

Strength of Schedule

It's no secret among softball coaches that playing Texas Tech was not an option. With the number of transfers head coach Gerry Glasco brought in and the caliber of talent, most wanted to avoid playing them.

Because most of the Top 25 refused or simply couldn't schedule Texas Tech, the Red Raiders were forced to find opponents elsewhere which could end up hurting them when it comes to RPI and Strength of Schedule

Here is a breakdown of Texas Tech's opponents with their strength of schedule and RPI from the 2025 season.

School	SOS	RPI
McNeese	127	72
Jacksonville State	100	70
North Texas	65	50
Providence	104	155
Florida Atlantic	93	33
James Madison	79	101
Fresno State	90	62
Bethune-Cookman	224	215
Fullerton	112	61
San Diego State	36	29
UC Riverside	174	200
Abilene Christian	72	196
Texas A&M Corpus Christi	260	283
Detroit Mercy	253	285
Tarleton State	150	98
Stetson	62	51
Utah State	85	111
UTEP	139	175
Texas A&M	3	1
Florida State	13	7
Nebraska	31	22
Northwestern	56	52
NC State	34	73
Arizona	13	27
Iowa State	59	67
Arizona State	37	39
BYU	67	45
UCF	25	32
Baylor	30	57
Utah	23	142
Houston	49	87

Why are these numbers important? Because when it is time for the committee to put together the NCAA Tournament bracket, the entire body of work is considered, which includes these two categories.

As history has shown, just because a team is ranked No. 1 in the polls, it doesn't mean that it will be the No. 1 overall seed.

The Red Raiders are, without a doubt, the preseason favorite to win the national title but their path getting there might be a little different than some predict.

---