2025 NCAA Division I softball season

The 2025 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2025. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2025 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2025 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisted of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held annually in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at Devon Park, ended in June 2025.

Realignment

Two schools transitioned from NCAA Division II to Division I after the 2024 season.

• Mercyhurst joined the NEC.
• West Georgia joined the ASUN.

A total of 15 softball-sponsoring schools changed conferences after the 2024 season.

• Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah joined the Big 12 Conference.
• California and Stanford joined the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• Oklahoma and Texas joined the Southeastern Conference.
• Oregon, UCLA, and Washington joined the Big Ten Conference.
• Kennesaw State joined Conference USA.
• Merrimack and Sacred Heart joined the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
• The remaining softball-sponsoring member of the Pac-12 Conference, Oregon State, became a multi-sport associate of the West Coast Conference through the 2025–26 school year, after which the Pac-12 is expected to resume play with multiple new members.
• Stephen F. Austin joined the Southland Conference.

The 2025 season was the last for seven Division I softball schools in their current conferences.

• Delaware and Missouri State joined Conference USA.
• Grand Canyon joined the Mountain West Conference.
• Seattle joined the West Coast Conference.
• UMass joined the Mid-American Conference.
• Horizon League members Cleveland State and Purdue Fort Wayne dropped softball after the 2025 season.

Other headlines

• March 25, 2025 – Saint Francis announced that it would reclassify to NCAA Division III starting in 2026–27, when it will leave the Northeast Conference (NEC) for the Presidents' Athletic Conference.
• April 19 – Stanford set a new NCAA single-game softball attendance record, with 13,207 at Stanford Stadium for its rivalry game against California. Stanford played its 2025 home games at its football stadium while its softball park was being renovated.
• May 5 – The NEC announced that New Haven would join the conference that July, starting a transition from the NCAA Division II Northeast-10 Conference.

Conference standings

Conference winners and tournaments

Of the 31 Division I athletic conferences that sponsor softball, 30 end their regular seasons with a single-elimination tournament or a double elimination tournament. The teams in each conference that win their regular season title are given the number one seed in each tournament. Only one conference, the West Coast Conference, does not hold a conference tournament. The winners of these tournaments, plus the West Coast Conference regular-season champions, received automatic invitations to the 2025 NCAA Division I softball tournament.

Awards

• USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year: Bri Ellis, Arkansas
• NFCA National Player of the Year: Jordy Bahl, Nebraska
• Softball America Player of the Year: Bri Ellis, Arkansas
• NFCA National Pitcher of the Year: NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech
• Softball America Pitcher of the Year: Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee
• NFCA National Freshman of the Year: Taylor Shumaker, Florida
• Softball America Freshman of the Year: Taylor Shumaker, Florida
• NFCA Catcher of the Year: Reese Atwood, Texas
• NFCA Golden Shoe Award: Kai Luschar, Oregon

All-America Teams

The following players were members of the All-American Teams.

First Team

Second Team

Third Team

See also

• 2025 NCAA Division I baseball season

References