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Oregon, LSU Climb Into Top 10 RPI Rankings Ahead of NCAA Tournament Push

How do the Ducks and Tigers impact postseason positioning?
Nicole Reitz|
Oregon’s Kaylynn Jones celebrates her triple as she heads home on a throwing error by Iowa in the 6th inning at Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene April 5, 2026.
Oregon’s Kaylynn Jones celebrates her triple as she heads home on a throwing error by Iowa in the 6th inning at Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene April 5, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The NCAA has released its Rating Percentage Index (RPI) for Division I softball games through April 21. 

RPI is a formulaic ranking system used by the selection committee to evaluate teams' resumes for tournament seeding, with a primary emphasis on teams’ Strength of Schedule. It consists of three weighted components: 25 percent team winning percentage, 50 percent opponents' winning percentage, and 25 percent opponents' opponents' winning percentage. 

With conference play halfway through, there have been some switch-ups to the rankings. Here’s a look at the Top 10 teams, their Strength of Schedule, and current overall record. To see the full list, visit the NCAA website.  

Top 10 Softball RPI Rankings 

  1. Arkansas (36-8)- SOS: 1 (Previous Rank: 1) 
  2. Texas (35-7)- SOS: 3 (Previous Rank: 3) 
  3. Alabama (43-4)- SOS: 24 (Previous Rank: 5) 
  4. Nebraska (37-6)- SOS: 10 (Previous Rank: 4)
  5. Florida (43-6)- SOS: 16 (Previous Rank: 3) 
  6. Oklahoma (43-6)- SOS: 32 (Previous Rank: 7) 
  7. Tennessee (38-7)- SOS: 26 (Previous Rank: 6) 
  8. Oregon (35-9)- SOS: 11 (Previous Rank: 14)
  9. UCLA (41-5)- SOS: 44 (Previous Rank: 8) 
  10. LSU (32-14- SOS: 6 (Previous Rank: 12) 

Oregon Ducks 

The Ducks jump into the top 10 after sweeping conference foes, the Washington Huskies.

The Huskies were undefeated in the Big Ten prior to the series in Eugene, but weren’t able to shut down Oregon’s offense. Another big series against UCLA to close out the regular season will be extremely important to the Ducks, with the NCAA Tournament nearing. 

LSU Tigers

The Tigers have been on the lower side of RPI due to losses to SEC foes like Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Tennessee, but a recent sweep over Ole Miss and two out of three victories over Arizona allowed them to move into the top 10.

Another hurdle comes for LSU this weekend as they will face the 34-14 Mississippi State Bulldogs for a three-game series. 

Arkansas Razorbacks and Texas Longhorns 

Through April 21 games, the Razorbacks have reclaimed the No. 1 spot, but the Texas Longhorns had the honors earlier in the week. Arkansas upset Oklahoma with one loss over the weekend, while Texas fell once to Georgia.

The Razorbacks will now face Missouri for a three-game series this weekend, while the Longhorns face Kentucky. These matchups might lower Arkansas and Texas next week, but the two will battle at the end of the month to close out the regular season.

Alabama Crimson Tide 

The Crimson Tide have been holding strong in the top five over the last month and are slowly making a case for No. 1.

A series win over Texas and a sweep of Auburn and Kentucky have boosted their resume, and they’ll now face the struggling Tennessee Lady Vols before closing out the regular season against South Carolina.  

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Nicole Reitz
NICOLE REITZ

Nicole Reitz graduated from Indiana University Indianapolis with a degree in sports journalism in 2022 and has been writing about softball and baseball since 2018 .Her work has been published in various publications like Softball America, the Indianapolis Star, and SoxOn35th.

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