Week 12 of the 2026 NCAA softball season wrapped up with a modest upset of sorts in the SEC on Monday night.
The Alabama Crimson Tide (44-6, 16-5) suffered a series of firsts with a 4-1 loss to the Tennessee Lady Vols at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville. For coach Patrick Murphy's team, it marked the first time Alabama had dropped a series in SEC play this season.
Sunday's 2-0 loss to the Lady Vols and pitcher Sage Mardjetko marked the first time the Crimson Tide had been shut out in a game this season. Monday marked the first time in 2026 that saw Alabama drop back-to-back games, and the first time the Tide had fallen two games behind in the SEC standings.
With the Oklahoma Sooners completing a three-game sweep of the Georgia Bulldogs over the weekend, it's coach Patty Gasso's team that has the inside track to the SEC regular-season crown with just one weekend series left. The 2026 SEC Tournament begins May 2 in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Sooners (46-6, 18-3) have a two-game lead over both Alabama and the Florida Gators (45-7, 16-5) in the conference standings. Oklahoma will face Texas A&M (35-14, 15-6) in College Station beginning Thursday.
Alabama will look to close the regular season strong when it faces South Carolina (29-22, 7-14) at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa starting Thursday. Florida finishes up the regular season with a trip to Athens to face Georgia (34-16, 10-11).
Here's a look at where Alabama sits in this week's NCAA softball top 25 polls and national outlet rankings with one series remaining ahead of the conference tournament.
Alabama softball vs Tennessee today: live updates, score, highlights📸 Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel, Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images https://t.co/OV8mctvVLE pic.twitter.com/742rmwF0IZ
In Tuesday's new NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll, Oklahoma remained No. 1 for the third consecutive week. Texas Tech held at No. 2 while the Nebraska Cornhuskers jumped Alabama within the top five, moving up one spot to No. 3. The Crimson Tide fell one spot to No. 4.
A new team joined the top five in the Coaches Poll: the UCLA Bruins, who rose one spot past Florida.
The Coaches Poll again features six SEC schools in the top 10 in Tuesday's rankings. The SEC continues to lead the way with 10 ranked teams overall in the top 25.
Here's a look at the full NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll rankings as of April 28.
Washington (24), Clemson (21), South Carolina (21), Southeastern Louisiana (18), Belmont (12), Omaha (10), Kansas (1)
Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy meets Tennessee softball coach Karen Weekly during before the start of the NCAA college softball game between the Tennessee Lady Vols and Alabama Crimson Tide on April 27, 2026.Alabama's Jocelyn Briski (23) pitches against Tennessee in an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.Alabama's Jena Young (4) fields a ground ball during an NCAA college softball game against Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.Tennessee's Karlyn Pickens (23) pitches agaist Alabama batter during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.Tennessee's Emma Clarke (13) celebrates after hitting a double against Alabama in an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.Alabama's Jena Young (4) fields a ground ball during an NCAA college softball game against Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.Alabama's Jena Young (4) is forced out at first base by Tennessee's Emma Clarke (13) during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.Tennessee's Taelyn Holley (27) imitates smoking a cigar after hitting an RBI single against Alabama during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.Alabama's Kristen White (3) makes a catch for the out during an NCAA college softball game against Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.Alabama's Kaitlyn Pallozzi (18) pitches against Tennessee during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.Alabama's Audrey Vandagriff (12) and Salen Hawkins (47) miss the ball as they collide during an NCAA college softball game against Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.Tennessee's Karlyn Pickens (23) acknowledges catcher Elsa Morrison (22) after striking out an Alabama batter during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.1 / 12Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady VolsAlabama softball coach Patrick Murphy meets Tennessee softball coach Karen Weekly during before the start of the NCAA college softball game between the Tennessee Lady Vols and Alabama Crimson Tide on April 27, 2026.1 / 12Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady VolsAlabama softball coach Patrick Murphy meets Tennessee softball coach Karen Weekly during before the start of the NCAA college softball game between the Tennessee Lady Vols and Alabama Crimson Tide on April 27, 2026.2 / 12Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady VolsAlabama's Jocelyn Briski (23) pitches against Tennessee in an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.3 / 12Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady VolsAlabama's Jena Young (4) fields a ground ball during an NCAA college softball game against Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.4 / 12Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady VolsTennessee's Karlyn Pickens (23) pitches agaist Alabama batter during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.5 / 12Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady VolsTennessee's Emma Clarke (13) celebrates after hitting a double against Alabama in an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.6 / 12Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady VolsAlabama's Jena Young (4) fields a ground ball during an NCAA college softball game against Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.7 / 12Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady VolsAlabama's Jena Young (4) is forced out at first base by Tennessee's Emma Clarke (13) during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.8 / 12Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady VolsTennessee's Taelyn Holley (27) imitates smoking a cigar after hitting an RBI single against Alabama during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.9 / 12Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady VolsAlabama's Kristen White (3) makes a catch for the out during an NCAA college softball game against Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.10 / 12Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady VolsAlabama's Kaitlyn Pallozzi (18) pitches against Tennessee during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.11 / 12Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady VolsAlabama's Audrey Vandagriff (12) and Salen Hawkins (47) miss the ball as they collide during an NCAA college softball game against Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.12 / 12Alabama softball photos from top-10 SEC clash vs Tennessee Lady VolsTennessee's Karlyn Pickens (23) acknowledges catcher Elsa Morrison (22) after striking out an Alabama batter during an NCAA college softball game in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 27, 2026.Unanimous No. 1 in NCAA Softball top 25 polls, rankings entering stretch runOklahoma took the top spot in both Softball America's new top 25 rankings this week, as well as D1Softball's top 25 and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll. With Tuesday's Coaches Poll, it gives the Sooners a sweep in all the major softball polls and national rankings entering Week 13.
Alabama fell one spot to No. 3 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, as well as Monday's rankings from Softball America. The Crimson Tide dropped two spots to No. 4 in D1Softball's top 25 rankings.
3 takeaways from Alabama's road series loss vs. Tennessee📸 Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel, Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images https://t.co/Ss90RKullD pic.twitter.com/WsZgOuvD1x
Alabama will face the South Carolina Gamecocks at Rhoads Stadium beginning Thursday. First pitch for Alabama-South Carolina in the series opener is 6 p.m. CT. All three games can be seen on SEC Network+.
Here's a look at Alabama's 2026 SEC softball schedule with final scores and scheduled start times. All times Central.
March 13-15: vs. Arkansas (W, 4-1; L, 14-9; W, 4-1)
April 2-4: vs. Texas (L, 9-1; W, 11-4; W, 7-4)