The Ultimate FloCollege Softball Guide: Your Handbook To The 2025 Season
The Ultimate FloCollege Softball Guide: Your Handbook To The 2025 Season
Here’s a look at all you need to watch out for — and where to watch it on FloCollege — ahead of the 2025 college softball season.
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Are you tired of winter yet? Everyone in college softball is.
Fortunately for the teams, players, and fans who have waited months to usher in the return of college softball, there are only a few weeks before the 2025 campaign for Division I gets into full swing.
- Subscribe To FloSoftball To Watch The Puerto Vallarta College Challenge 2025
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There’s a lot to unpack and for those who don’t follow the sport as closely, it can be a lot to sort through. That’s where FloCollege is here to help with this handy guide to the 2025 season, where we’ve done the heavy lifting for you.
The overarching point of it all, however, is that this year’s college softball season is about to be a lot of fun.
Here’s a look at all you need to watch out for — and where to watch it on FloCollege — ahead of the 2025 college softball season:
When Does The 2025 College Softball Season Begin?
Opening weekend for the NCAA softball season begins Feb. 7, with 309 schools fielding softball teams in Division I this spring.
Multiple conferences have new members for the 2025 softball season. The conferences with new schools as a result of realignment are the: Southeastern Conference (Oklahoma, Texas), Big Ten Conference (UCLA, Oregon, Washington), Big 12 Conference (Arizona, Arizona State, Utah), Atlantic Coast Conference (Cal, Stanford), Conference USA (Kennesaw State), Southland Conference (Stephen F. Austin) and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (Merrimack, Sacred Heart).
Two schools — Mercyhurst and West Georgia — are also playing their first softball seasons as members of D-I this spring after moving up from D-II. The Lakers and Wolves will be competing in the Northeast Conference and Atlantic Sun Conference, respectively.
When Does The 2025 College Softball Season End?
The college softball season concludes every year at the Women’s College World Series (WCWS), which was first played in 1969 when the top level of college softball was then under the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) banner. The NCAA first began administering its version of the WCWS in 1982.
With the exceptions of 1996 and the pandemic-canceled 2020 season, the WCWS has been contested every year since 1990 at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium (now recently renamed Devon Park) in Oklahoma City. This year’s WCWS is scheduled to be held May 29-June 5 or 6, depending on the length of the best-of-three championship series.
UCLA is the most successful college softball program of all time, having won the WCWS to be crowned national champions 12 times. Arizona and Oklahoma are tied for second with eight national titles each. No other school has more than two.
What Is The NCAA Softball Tournament?
The NCAA softball tournament is the national postseason of college softball, held annually from mid-to-late May to early June. A total of 64 teams earn berths to the NCAA tourney, with those berths given out as both automatic bids for winners of conference tournaments and on an at-large basis.
Of those 64 teams, 16 are ranked in order as national seeds and earn the right to host the opening rounds of the tournament, known as Regionals. Each Regional consists of a national seed hosting plus three other teams (seeded Nos. 1-4 in their Regional bracket) that earned berths competing in a double-elimination bracket held over several days.
After the winners of all 16 Regionals are decided, the remaining teams will go on to the Super Regional round, a best-of-three series in which the higher seed earns the right to home-field advantage throughout the Super Regional.
The winners of each Super Regional then advance to the Women’s College World Series in neutral-site Oklahoma City for the right to play for a national championship, with double-elimination bracket rules applying until the best-of-three championship series when two only two teams are left standing.
Who Are The College Softball National Championship Favorites For 2025?
The obvious pick to win it all in college softball in 2025 (and deservedly so) is Oklahoma, simply because the Sooners have completely run the sport over the past four seasons.
OU won last year’s national championship in front of a pro-Sooners crowd in OKC to become the first team in the history of the sport to four-peat. All-time coaching great Patty Gasso is one of the most legendary figures in the sport, having taken Oklahoma to all eight of its national championships in program history with over 1,500 wins in Norman alone, and the Sooners will be expected to be right at or near the top of the heap of title contenders — even as they play their first season in the brutal SEC.
Saturday on the diamond 💎#ChampionshipMindset pic.twitter.com/JxxXf17Le0
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) January 25, 2025
The Sooners are the sport’s biggest name at the moment and will be a loaded team once again, but their archrival is perhaps the one tipped by most to finally end OU’s reign.
Defending runner-up Texas topped the rankings in the preseason’s ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll released Tuesday, with the Longhorns not only going to the SEC with OU to make what was already arguably the toughest conference in sports even tougher but also seeking revenge on the Sooners as they took out UT in the championship series at last year’s WCWS.
SEC schools occupy six of the top nine spots in the top 25, with No. 2 Florida being the only program not named Texas or Oklahoma to receive first-place votes. No. 4 Oklahoma State, ready to try and take over the Big 12 without the Longhorns or Sooners in its way anymore, looms close by, too.
Who Are Some Sleeper Teams In College Softball For 2025?
Duke’s meteoric rise up the college softball hierarchy has not gone unnoticed.
It’s hard to call the Blue Devils a sleeper team anymore, considering that they won the ACC regular-season crown and made the WCWS for the first time last season, but it can’t be overstated that this has all been achieved since Duke first began playing softball in 2018. A national title this season would be just the second for an ACC team that was playing in the league at the title of their championship (Florida State in 2018 was the other).
If that doesn’t fit your mold of a sleeper team, what about Texas Tech, which has never made it past the Regional round in its history nor made an NCAA Tournament in the past six seasons? Having gone 29-21 this past season, the Red Raiders have both a new coach in Gerry Glasco, who built Louisiana up into one of the premier mid-major programs in the country and a new superstar on the mound in NiJaree Canady, who transferred from Stanford after winning the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award with an incredible 0.73 ERA and 337 strikeouts.
Two of the best in the country pic.twitter.com/91SWFdz6rr
— Texas Tech Softball (@TexasTechSB) January 22, 2025
And then there’s Nebraska, which had massive preseason expectations placed upon it last season as Nebraska native Jordy Bahl — widely considered to be one of if not the nation’s best player going into 2024 — transferred closer to home with the Cornhuskers after two national title-winning, All-American seasons as a pitcher at Oklahoma. She made it 2⅓ innings in her first game with the Huskers before suffering a season-ending injury, which derailed Nebraska’s high hopes for the time being, but Bahl’s return to full health could make Nebraska a force in the revamped Big Ten.
As for the mid-majors to watch out for this season, Grand Canyon is an easy one to keep an eye on as a potential rising power, in line with its rise over the past decade in most other sports. The Lopes have made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances under coach Shanon Hays — a former college basketball coach turned softball coach — winning a program-record 50 games a year ago and more games each season that he’s been in charge.
On the East Coast, there’s also Boston U, which won the most games last season (53) of any team in the country not named Oklahoma. The Terriers return some firepower from a team that’s won each of the past six Patriot League regular-season championships and will be battle-tested this season against a hearty mix of mid- and high-major programs, including four games against the SEC.
What Kinds Of College Softball Can I Watch On FloCollege?
FloCollege will be one of the leading carriers of college softball throughout the 2025 season, with the platform holding exclusive streaming rights to both the BIG EAST Conference and Coastal Athletic Association softball seasons as well as multiple high-level multi-team events (MTEs) throughout nonconference play in February.
MTEs to be streamed exclusively on FloCollege include Arizona’s Bear Down Fiesta, Candrea Classic, and Hillenbrand Invitational, Florida Atlantic’s Joan Joyce Classic, and Paradise Classic, the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, the Rocket City Softball Showcase and UNC Greensboro’s Spiro Classic, UNCG Invitational and UNCG Weekend Invitationals.
Texas, Oklahoma State, UCLA, and Tennessee are among the many elite-level college softball programs that will play games on FloCollege-streamed MTEs this season, with access to hundreds of other games and countless hours of original content and replays available with a FloCollege subscription, as well.
What College Softball Conferences Can I Watch On FloCollege?
FloCollege and FloSoftball are home to 12 college softball conferences during the 2025 season.
- Division I - CAA
- Division I - BIG EAST (no football)
- Division II - GLIAC
- Division II - SAC
- Division II - Gulf South
- Division II - NE10
- Division II - CCAA (no football)
- Division II - Lonestar
- Division III - Landmark
- Division III - NEWMAC
- Division III - SCIAC
- Division III - SCAC
How To Watch the 2025 Puerto Vallarta College Challenge
Watch the 2025 Puerto Vallarta College Challenge on FloSoftball and the FloSports App.
FloSoftball will be streaming several NCAA Division I College Softball tournaments including the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Rocket City Softball Showcase, FAU Paradise Classic, and the FAU Joan Joyce Classic.
Ranked Teams At Puerto Vallarta College Challenge 2025
- Oklahoma State (No. 4)
- Florida State (No. 12)
Ranked Teams At Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic 2025
- Tennessee (No. 5)
- UCLA (No. 6)
- Duke (No. 8)
- Arkansas (No. 13)
- Missouri (No. 15)
- Baylor (No. 19)
- Northwestern (No. 20)
- California (No. 21)
- Oregon (No. 24)
Ranked Teams At Hillenbrand Invitational 2025
- Texas (No. 1)
- Stanford (No. 22)
Ranked Teams At Rocket City Softball Showcase 2025
- Alabama (No. 11)
- Mississippi State (No. 24)
Ranked Teams At Candera Classic 2025
- Alabama (No. 11)
College Softball Rankings 2025: ESPN/USA Softball Top 25
- 1. Texas (15) - 55-10
- 2. Florida (4) - 54-15
- 3. Oklahoma (6) - 59-7
- 4. Oklahoma State - 49-12
- 5. Tennessee - 44-12
- 6. UCLA - 43-12
- 7. Texas A&M - 44-15
- 8. Duke - 52-9
- 9. LSU - 44-17
- 10. Texas Tech - 29-21
- 11. Alabama - 39-20
- 12. Florida State - 46-16
- 13. Arkansas - 37-18
- 14. Georgia - 43-19
- 15. Missouri - 46-18
- 16. Nebraska - 30-20
- 17. Arizona - 37-18-1
- 18. Virginia Tech - 40-14-1
- 19. Baylor - 36-23
- 20. Northwestern - 35-13
- 21. California - 37-19
- 22. Michigan - 43-18
- 22. Stanford - 50-17
- 24. Oregon - 30-21
- 24. Mississippi State - 34-20
Others receiving votes: San Diego State, Kentucky, UCF, Arizona, Missouri, Wichita State, McNeese, Notre Dame, Arizona State, Liberty, Indiana, Miami-OH, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Central Arkansas, Michigan, North Texas
Watch Oklahoma Vs. Washington From Puerto Vallarta Challenge 2024
Puerto Vallarta College Challenge 2025 Schedule
All Times Eastern.
PVCC Session 1
Feb. 6
- 11 a.m. – Florida State vs. Oklahoma State
- 2 p.m. – Florida State vs. Northern Colorado
- 5 p.m. – Northern Colorado vs. LA Tech
Feb. 7
- 2 p.m. – Florida State vs. LA Tech
- 5 p.m. – Oklahoma State vs. LA Tech
- 8 p.m. – Northern Colorado vs. Oklahoma State
Feb. 8
- 2 p.m. – LA Tech vs. Northern Colorado
- 5 p.m. – LA Tech vs. Florida State
- 8 p.m. – Oklahoma State vs. Florida State
PVCC Session 2
Feb. 12
- 1 p.m. – North Dakota State vs. BYU
Feb. 13
- 11 a.m. – Florida International vs. Boise State
- 2 p.m. – Florida International vs. North Dakota State
- 5 p.m. – BYU vs. Illinois State
- 8 p.m. – Indiana vs. North Dakota State
Feb. 14
- 11 a.m. – Florida International vs. Illinois State
- 1:30 p.m. – Florida International vs. North Dakota State
- 4 p.m. – Illinois State vs. Indiana
- 7 p.m. – Boise State vs. Indiana
- 10:30 p.m. – Boise State vs. BYU
Feb. 15
- 11 a.m. – Illinois State vs. North Dakota State
- 2 p.m. – Indiana vs. BYU
- 5 p.m. – BYU vs. Florida International
- 8 p.m. – Boise State vs. Florida International
Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic 2025 Schedule
All Times Eastern
Thursday, Feb. 20
Wrigley Field
- 12:30 p.m. – Rutgers vs. Arkansas
- 3 p.m. – Cal State Fullerton vs. Arkansas
- 5:30 p.m. – Nebraska vs. Baylor
- 8 p.m. – Missouri vs. UCLA
- 10:30 p.m. – Nebraska vs. UCLA
Yankee Stadium
- 1 p.m. – California vs. Oregon
- 3:30 p.m. – Tennessee vs. Oregon
- 6 p.m. – Tennessee vs. Oregon State
- 8:30 p.m. – Washington vs. BYU
- 11 p.m. – Washington vs. UC Riverside
Fenway Park
- 1 p.m. – Nevada vs. Baylor
- 3:30 p.m. – Rutgers vs. Missouri
- 6 p.m. – Bethune-Cookman vs. Nevada
- 8:30 p.m. – Bethune-Cookman vs. UC Riverside
- 11 p.m. – CSUN vs. BYU
Des Moines Field
- 6 p.m. – California vs. Cal State Fullerton
- 8:30 p.m. – CSUN vs. Oregon State
Friday, Feb. 21
Wrigley Field
- 1:30 p.m. – Rutgers vs. Tennessee
- 4 p.m. – Duke vs. Nebraska
- 6:30 p.m. – Tennessee vs. UCLA
- 9 p.m. – Arkansas vs. Loyola Marymount
- 11:30 p.m. – California vs. Washington
Yankee Stadium
- 1 p.m. – Missouri vs. Baylor
- 3:30 p.m. – Missouri vs. Minnesota
- 6 p.m. – BYU vs. Hawai'i
- 8:30 p.m. – BYU vs. UC Santa Barbara
- 11 p.m. – Oregon State vs. UC Santa Barbara
Fenway Park
- 1:30 p.m. – Oregon vs. Utah
- 4 p.m. – Oregon vs. San Diego State
- 6:30 p.m. – Howard vs. Duke
- 9 p.m. – Northwestern vs. Seattle
- 11:30 p.m. – Howard vs. San Jose State
Des Moines Field
- 1 p.m. – Fresno State vs. Minnesota
- 3:30 p.m. – Fresno State vs. Seattle
- 6 p.m. – Long Beach State vs. Utah
- 8:30 p.m. – Nevada vs. UC Riverside
- 11 p.m. – Nevada vs. Hawai'i
Pawtucket Field
- 1 p.m. – Cal State Fullerton vs. Bethune-Cookman
- 3:30 p.m. – Rutgers vs. Bethune-Cookman
- 6 p.m. – Cal State Fullerton vs. Saint Mary’s
- 8:30 p.m. – San Jose State vs. CSUN
- 11 p.m. – Saint Mary’s vs. CSUN
Saturday, Feb. 22
Wrigley Field
- 1 p.m. – Baylor vs. Arkansas
- 3:30 p.m. – Baylor vs. UCLA
- 6 p.m. – Arkansas vs. UCLA
- 8:30 p.m. – San Jose State vs. Nebraska
- 11 p.m. – Howard vs. Nebraska
Yankee Stadium
- 12:30 p.m. – Oregon vs. Missouri
- 3 p.m. – Utah vs. Cal State Fullerton
- 5:30 p.m. – Utah vs. Northwestern
- 8 p.m. – Saint Mary’s vs. Northwestern
- 10:30 p.m. – Saint Mary’s vs. Hawai'i
Fenway Park
- 12:30 p.m. – BYU vs. Duke
- 3 p.m. – Minnesota vs. Duke
- 5:30 p.m. – Minnesota vs. Tennessee
- 8 p.m. – UC Riverside vs. Rutgers
- 10:30 p.m. – UC Santa Barbara vs. Washington
Des Moines Field
- 12:30 p.m. – Seattle vs. Long Beach State
- 3 p.m. – Oregon State vs. Long Beach State
- 5:30 p.m. – Oregon State vs. Rutgers
- 8 p.m. – UC Santa Barbara vs. San Diego State
- 10:30 p.m. – UC Riverside vs. San Diego State
Pawtucket Field
- 12:30 p.m. – Bethune-Cookman vs. Fresno State
- 3 p.m. – CSU vs. Nevada
- 5:30 p.m. – Seattle vs. California
- 8 p.m. – Loyola Marymount vs. California
- 10:30 p.m. – Loyola Marymount vs. San Jose State
Sunday, Feb. 23
Wrigley Field
- Noon – Duke vs. UCLA
- 2 p.m. – Nebraska vs. Utah
- 4 p.m. – San Diego State vs. Hawai'i
Yankee Stadium
- 12:30 p.m. – Washington vs. Fresno State
- 2:30 p.m. – Hawai'i vs. Loyola Marymount
- 4:30 p.m. – Howard vs. Loyola Marymount
Fenway Park
- Noon – Northwestern vs. California
- 2 p.m. – San Diego State vs. Saint Mary’s
Des Moines Field
- 12:30 p.m. – Long Beach State vs. Minnesota
- 2:30 p.m. – Long Beach State vs. Howard
Pawtucket Field
- Noon – Seattle vs. Oregon State
- 2 p.m. – San Jose State vs. UC Santa Barbara
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