UCLA Bruins Rise, Duke Blue Devils Fall Out in Softball America’s Top 25 Rankings

The ACC took a big hit and Week 5 rankings reflect that.

Megan Grant leads the NCAA with 16 home runs. | UCLA Athletics

With a weekend full of non-conference play, the Softball America Top 25 rankings didn’t see a ton of changes throughout, but a few programs still entered while two fell out after disappointing losses. 

The Oklahoma Sooners fell three spots last week, but are slowly inching back up, while UCF and Washington return to the Top 25 as Duke and North Carolina exit. The Tar Heels’ undefeated streak came to an end after a 10-2 loss to Boston College. The Blue Devils were majorly upset by East Carolina and Boston University. 

Check out the Top 10 and visit Softball America for the full Top 25 ranking. 

Softball America Top 10 Rankings

1. Tennessee (Previous Rank: 1) 
2. Texas Tech (Previous Rank: 2) 
3. Texas (Previous Rank: 3) 
4. Alabama (Previous Rank: 4) 
5. Arkansas (Previous Rank: 5) 
6. Oklahoma (Previous Rank: 7)
7. UCLA (Previous Rank: 10)
8. Florida (Previous Rank: 7) 
9. Nebraska (Previous Rank: 8) 
10. Florida State (Previous Rank: 9) 

UCLA Bruins 

The Bruins closed a perfect 5-0 weekend with a 13-3 run-rule win over Oregon State at the Judi Garman Classic in California on Sunday.

Head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez grabbed her 888th career win against Florida to become UCLA softball's all-time winningest head coach, and star player, Megan Grant, ripped her seventh career multi-homer performance against the Beavers. Grant now leads the country with 16 total homers on the season and homered in three straight games this weekend. 

𝐈𝐧 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧.

Kelly Inouye-Perez is UCLA softball’s winningest head coach with 888 victories and counting!#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/97xkwM01Ew

— UCLA Softball (@UCLASoftball) February 28, 2026

Florida Gators 

The Gators were handed their first loss of the season in a close 15-12 battle against UCLA on Friday. Just the day before, Florida beat East Texas A&M 28-0 in five innings, becoming one of three teams in NCAA Division I softball to outscore their opponents 84-0. They set several program records for runs in a single inning (17), runs scored in a game (28), hits (26), and RBIs (28). The offense plated 36 runs with 35 hits, 18 walks, and five home runs on the day, while the pitching staff combined for back-to-back shutouts.

The bats went on to do even more damage on Saturday, 21-1. 

numbers don't lie 💥 pic.twitter.com/29QygWobK9

— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) February 27, 2026

Oklahoma Sooners 

Along with the Gators, Oklahoma played a hand in outsourcing opponents 84-0. The Sooners took down Alabama State 32-0 on Thursday, scoring 11 runs in the first inning. They set a program record for the most runs in a home opener. The win marked the second time this season when the Sooners scored 30-plus runs in a game, beating UTEP on Feb. 15 by a score of 34-0.

The team went on to complete the weekend with another run-rule, taking down Southeastern Louisiana 9-1 in five innings. Eight of their nine runs were homers, while pitcher Audrey Lowry threw a complete game for her 10th win of the year.

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