The Ole Miss softball program has been selected as the No. 24 team in the country according to D1Softball’s preseason poll, as announced on Tuesday.
The Rebels were named the No. 25 team in the nation by Softball America last week. The NFCA and ESPN/USA Softball polls remain and will round out the preseason national rankings.
The mark is the program’s highest preseason ranking since 2020, when the Rebels were tabbed as the No. 21 team in the nation by USA Today/NFCA.
The preseason rankings come on the heels of a historic 2025 campaign that ended with the program’s first Women’s College World Series appearance and the program’s highest national ranking, at No. 7 in the nation, by Softball America.
The Ole Miss roster has a new look in 2026, welcoming 16 newcomers in the form of 10 transfers and six freshmen. Several key players from last season’s run to the Women’s College World Series also remain, including All-SEC sophomore Persy Llamas, NFCA All-South Region sophomore Mackenzie Pickens and seniors Taylor Malvin and Taylor Roman.
The Rebels open the regular season on Feb. 5 in a doubleheader at Cal State Fullerton to kick off the season-opening Easton Classic. The doubleheader is set to begin at 7 p.m. CT.