Across the country, exhibition softball games are underway this fall as teams are anxious to get a look at their rosters for the 2027 season.
The best part is that these exhibition games can only be played when football is away or on non-football game days.
As the fall begins to take shape, here are five storylines to watch for.
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Can Texas three-peat with the addition of Isa Torres?
Isa Torres was the prize transfer of the 2026 summer.
After spending three seasons at Florida State, the Georgetown, Texas, native moved home and will join the two-time defending champion Texas Longhorns in their quest for a three-peat.
Torres is a massive addition to the Texas roster. She is expected to play middle infield and hit near the top of the lineup.
Determining whether Torres plays shortstop or second base is a tough decision for head coach Mike White. Vivianna Martinez returns to Texas after helping the Longhorns as the starting shortstop in 2026.
Torres is coming off a junior campaign that earned her D1Softball’s National Player of the Year, a top-three finalist for USA Softball’s National Player of the Year, an NFCA First-Team All-American, an NFCA Gold Glove winner, ACC Player of the Year, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-ACC and ACC Championship All-Tournament Team honors. She was also named a unanimous First-Team All-American by the NFCA, D1Softball and Softball America for the second consecutive year.
The infielder batted .530 in 2026, breaking the Florida State program record and posting a mark that finished top-15 in NCAA single-season history. She slashed .530/.978/.591 with a 1.569 OPS, and broke program records in on-base percentage (.591), slugging percentage (.978) and runs scored (78). Her 98 hits were the second-most in single-season program history, and she set an NCAA record with 16 hits in 16 consecutive at-bats on March 8-20.
Torres has two years of eligibility remaining thanks to the new five-in-five eligibility rule.
Will Jayden Heavener suit up for Texas Tech?
It is unlikely that Red Raiders fans will see LSU transfer pitcher Jayden Heavener this fall after she was injured in a jet ski accident on Aug. 27.
Heavener posted on TikTok and was sporting a brace on her pitching hand.
The junior lefty posted a 2.78 ERA and racked up 26 wins in 43 starts during her two seasons in Baton Rouge and bolsters a pitching staff that lost NiJaree Canady to the Athletes Unlimited Softball League.
Texas Tech began its fall season with a scrimmage on Sept. 27 and Shelby Hilliard of Red Raider Sports reported that Heavener did not appear for the Red Raiders as she recovers from an injury.
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Can Faith Aragon lead Nebraska back to Oklahoma City?
The bad news is that the Nebraska Cornhuskers lost 10 seniors to graduation after making it to the Women’s College World Series in 2026.
The good news? Head coach Rhonda Revelle added a ton of talent from the transfer portal, including two-way pitcher Faith Aragon.
Aragon appeared in the circle for the Huskers in the first fall game on Sunday. She went the distance, pitching 7.0 innings and allowing only one hit to the Kansas Jayhawks, an NCAA Regional team in 2026.
Aragon has played in 126 games over her three seasons at UTEP (2024) and New Mexico State (2025-26). In the circle, the left-hander is 45-28 with one save, seven shutouts and a 3.30 ERA across 454.0 innings. At the plate, she boasts a .323 career batting average with 16 doubles, nine home runs and 32 RBIs.
For the Huskers to get back to the WCWS, they will need Aragon to take her game to a new level and they will need the offense to find itself with only two position starters (Jesse Farrell and Samantha Bland) returning to the starting lineup.
Alabama has the third-highest-paid coach in softball. Now what?
Honestly, Alabama is primed for a national title run and with a new contract in hand, head coach Patrick Murphy is staying put through at least 2031.
Murphy’s raise from $530,000 to $600,000 was announced Monday and makes him the third-highest-paid collegiate softball coach, trailing only Oklahoma’s Patty Gasso and Florida’s Tim Walton. He is tied with Florida State’s Lonni Alameda.
The Crimson Tide returns 13 players from last year’s Women’s College World Series semifinal team, including NFCA All-Americans Jocelyn Briski and Brooke Wells, D1 Softball Freshmen All-Americans Vic Moten and Kaitlyn Pallozzi and WCWS All-Tournament Team honoree Jena Young.
Who is feeling the most pressure entering 2027?
The obvious answer has to be Texas Tech.
After losing to Texas and finishing national runners-up in back-to-back seasons, the pressure to win in Lubbock has to be weighing on head coach Gerry Glasco.
Following another disappointing loss, Glasco shook up his coaching staff. He added Jeff Cottrill and Shelby Pendley and parted ways with Hunter Veach and Kayla Kowalik.
Four of Texas Tech’s five fall matchups will take place at Tracy Sellers Field in Lubbock and all will be held throughout the month of October.
The schedule begins against West Texas A&M at 2 p.m. CT on Oct. 3. The Red Raiders then head to Canyon for a rematch with the Lady Buffs on Oct. 11 at 2 p.m CT.
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Soccer: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer
Tennis: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer
Basketball: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The IX Sports
Softball: Maren Angus-Coombs, @Maren-Angus, The IX Sports
Golf: Marin Dremock, @MDremock, The IX Sports
Hockey: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden
Gymnastics: Jessica Taylor Price, @jesstaylorprice, Freelance Writer
