When the final rankings for the 2024 season came out last June, the Arizona Wildcats were ranked either 15 or 16 in all four major polls. With the release of the USA Today/NFCA 2025 preseason poll on Tuesday morning, the team is once again a unanimous pick to be among the best 25 teams in the country.
@TexasSoftball tops the charts in the 2025 NFCA/@Go_Rout DI Top 2⃣5⃣ Preseason Coaches Poll!
https://t.co/UZUJs3vv5A pic.twitter.com/daaPv5Zjfy
— National Fastpitch Coaches Association (@NFCAorg) January 28, 2025
Arizona is ranked as high as No. 12 going into the season with D1 Softball holding the team in the highest regard after placing the Wildcats 16th at the end of last season. Softball America, which also had UA at No. 16 after the 2024 season, has the team at No. 14 prior to 2025.
The pattern of having the Wildcats slightly higher this season than they ended in 2024 was broken with the release of the ESPN.com/USA Softball 2025 preseason poll. The USA Softball poll placed the Wildcats 15th at the conclusion of last season. The preseason poll released by the organization on Jan. 21 has Arizona at No. 17 this season.
The NFCA followed suit a week later. The coaches’ organization had the Wildcats at No. 15 last season. It dropped them to No. 16 heading into the 2025 season. That gives Arizona an average ranking of 14.75 across the four polls.
The Wildcats are among four Big 12 teams to make all four preseason polls. Utah picked up one vote in both the USA Softball and NFCA polls. BYU also appears on the “others receiving votes” list of the NFCA rankings, picking up enough votes to earn four points.
Oklahoma State is the unanimous top pick among Big 12 teams. It comes in at No. 4 in three of the four rankings and No. 5 in the other.
The Cowgirls are joined by Texas Tech in the top 10 of two of the polls. The Red Raiders range anywhere from 8th to 13th with an average of 11.25. D1 Softball placed TTU one spot behind Arizona, but the other three seem to think the additions of top pitcher NiJaree Canady, new head coach Gerry Glasco, and a few other quality tranfers tip the balance in the Red Raiders’ favor.
Baylor is the fourth team to show up in the rankings. The Bears range from 16 to 21 in the four polls. They have an average ranking of 19.
In addition to the team rankings, the members of the media and coaching organizations have also been releasing player rankings and watch lists. USA Softball was the latest to release its group of players to watch. Outfielders Dakota Kennedy and Regan Shockey both made the preseason watch list for Player of the Year.
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Regan and Dakota were named to the @USASoftball Player of the Year Watch List! pic.twitter.com/tw56yG5Ycg
— Arizona Softball (@ArizonaSoftball) January 24, 2025
D1 Softball lists the pair among the top 10 players in the Big 12 with Kennedy at No. 4 and Shockey at No. 9. Two more Wildcats join later in the outlet’s top 20. Senior pitcher/infielder Devyn Netz (12) and junior catcher/utility Sydney Stewart (15) make the list, giving Arizona the second-most players.
Arizona gets its season underway when it hosts the Candrea Classice beginning on Thursday, Feb. 6. The first day consists of a doubleheader against Michigan State beginning at 3 p.m. MST.