The Southeastern Conference has proven to be the most dominant conference in Division I softball this season. The SEC has produced 14 teams with winning records in 2025, while also notching 12 teams in the top-25 rankings.
Now with the NCAA softball season wrapping up within the next month, many teams and players have made their presence felt on the diamond in 2025.
Here is a recap of SEC softball so far this season:
12 SEC teams highlight top 25 rankings halfway through conference play
Like clockwork, the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners are atop the NCAA Division I standings, ranking first and second, respectively. The two programs are cemented as softball powerhouses, as the Sooners have won the past four NCAA championships while the Longhorns have met them in the finals in 2022 and 2024.
Led by seven-time national champion head coach Patty Gasso, the Sooners rank second in the country in scoring as the squad knocks in 8.42 runs a game. Oklahoma holds a 36-4 record so far this season with all of its losses coming from SEC teams.
“What we need to do is continue to learn,” Gasso said after a 4-1 victory over the Tenneesee Volunteers on March 29. “We are not where we are without solid hitting.”
The Longhorns are one of the best hitting teams in the country as it has a team batting average of .382, making them good for second in the nation in that category. The first-year SEC team has found success in the conference this season, winning its first four SEC series'.
Sitting right behind Texas and Oklahoma in the national rankings are the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies and No. 6 LSU Tigers, who both cruised to 34-5 records this season before they faced each other this past weekend. The Aggies handled the Tigers in College Station in this heavyweight series, sweeping the nation's sixth-best team.
The defensive-minded No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers have also made national attention this season guided by a nation-best 1.68 ERA and SEC-best 16 shutouts. The Vols’ ace, junior pitcher Karlyn Pickens, ranks fourth in the country with a 0.94 ERA.
The No. 8 Florida Gators, No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks and No. 11 South Carolina Gamecocks round out the top half of the SEC, as these teams mark eight SEC schools ranked in the top 11 of Division I softball.
The Gators host one of the most explosive offenses in the nation, blasting the third most home runs in the NCAA with 75. The Razorbacks got firepower of its own with senior infielder Bri Ellis, who leads DI softball with 20 home runs.
South Carolina maintains a balanced offensive and defensive unit, as it ranks 10th in the SEC in both runs and earned run average. The Gamecocks also lead the SEC in doubles with 79.
“There’s nothing like winning to build the confidence and just the belief in who we are and what we can do,” South Carolina head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard said. “I’m really proud of (the players) for the way they’re carrying themselves, I think they’re acting really professional.”
No. 15 Mississippi State Bulldogs, No. 19 Ole Miss Rebels and No. 20 Georgia Bulldogs are all also ranked top 20 in the nation.
Sitting at 15th in the country, the Bulldogs’ 9-6 SEC record places it higher than the Razorbacks, Volunteers and Gamecocks in conference play. But for the other Bulldogs, Georgia’s 27-15 out-of-conference record has yet to translate to a SEC series victory where it is 5-12 in conference play.
The No. 22 Alabama Crimson Tide closes out the last of the ranked teams in the conference. The Tide finds itself in the middle of the road in regards to rankings, as it ranks 9th in the SEC in runs scored and 8th in ERA.
SEC player spotlight
While Pickens has pitched well in the circle and Ellis has shown her dominance at the plate, several other players have shined so far this season.
Texas’s trio of sophomore outfielder Kayden Henry, redshirt junior outfielder Ashton Maloney and senior utility Mia Scott all rank top-10 in the SEC in batting average. A separate Longhorn duo of sophomore catcher/infielder Katie Stewart and junior catcher Reese Atwood both are top-5 in the SEC with 62 and 57 RBIs, respectively. The firepower throughout the Longhorns lineup is no shock to why it's top five in the nation in scoring.
Defensively, Longhorn sophomore pitcher Teagan Kavan ranks 10th in the nation with 156 strikeouts while winning an SEC-best 18 games.
“The pitching staff is intact, we’ve obviously got a solid nucleus throughout the (starting) lineup with a good hitting team,” Texas head coach Mike White said prior to the season. “So we’re excited about having all those pieces back for a good run this year.”
Mississippi State’s senior outfielder Sierra Sacco leads the SEC with a .504 batting average and a conference-second with 53 runs scored. LSU’s redshirt freshman utility Tori Edwards is top-5 in the conference in hits, RBIs and home runs.
South Carolina’s sophomore infielder Karley Shelton leads the SEC with 16 doubles, while her senior infielder teammate Ella Chancey ranks tied for fourth with 13. Fellow Gamecock redshirt junior utility Quincee Lilio also cracks top-5 in the conference with a .551 on-base percentage paired with her 37 walks on the season.
Along with Pickens’ third-best opponent batting average in the SEC, her Volunteer teammates, freshman pitcher Peyton Tanner and sophomore Sage Mardjetko, are also both ranked top-5 in this category as well. Mardjetko started 17 games for the Gamecocks during her freshman year in 2024 before transferring to Tennessee.
Gasso said the Volunteers have one of the best pitching staffs in the SEC, calling Pickens the “best pitcher in the SEC” after the Volunteers defeated the Sooners in a series in late March.
With so much competition in the conference, the Gamecocks will look to remain competitive for the remainder of the season. With a 7-8 SEC record with series’ against Kentucky, Auburn and Alabama left, the Gamecocks will look to end its 2025 regular season campaign with momentum heading into the SEC tournament.
“We play in the SEC like it's the Premier League in softball,” Chastain Woodard said in a preseason interview. “We embrace that, we see that as a great opportunity to move the program forward.”