The start of the 2025 college softball season is less than a month away and the fans are frothing at the mouth for the return of the clay diamond darlings. Ahead of the opening action, Softball America released its preseason poll, in which the Florida Gators found itself ranked No. 1 in the nation.

The Gators ranked No. 1 for the first time since 2017 as Softball America named Florida its best team heading into the 2025 season on Monday.

The Missouri Tigers were ranked No. 15 in preseason rankings from Softball America, the ninth-highest rank for a SEC team. Additionally, three Missouri players were listed in Softball America's Freshman Watch list: infielder/outfielder Madison Uptegrove,