| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  | Alabama | Earned 1st Nat. Championship in program history. SEC Regular Season Champs for 3rd Straight Year. Finished 60-8. | 4 |
| 2 |  | Oklahoma | Big 12 Champion and National Runner-up taking Alabama to three games in Champ. series. Led the Nation in HR's. | 3 |
| 3 |  | California | Ranked #1 most of the season, the PAC-12 Champion Bears reached the National Semi-Finals finishing 58-7 overall | 1 |
| 4 |  | Arizona State | The 2011 National Champs, & PAC-12 runner-up, lost in WCWS Semi-Final to runner-up, OU. Ended 53-11. | 2 |
| 5 |  | Tennessee | The Lady Vols returned to the WCWS after falling short in 2011. They finished 2nd in the SEC, winning the East Division. | 7 |
| 6 |  | Oregon | The Lady Ducks surprised, finishing 3rd in the PAC-12, beating Texas on the road to reach the WCWS for the first time. | 13 |
| 7 |  | Georgia | The Bulldogs missed the WCWS, losing in Super Regional for the 2nd straight year. A solid campaign, finished 45-17. | 16 |
| 8 |  | LSU | LSU reached the WCWS for the first time since 2003, steadily improving throughout 2012. A promising 2013 is ahead. | NR |
| 9 |  | Missouri | The Big 12 runner-up fell to LSU at home in the SR missing the WCWS for the 1st time in 4 years. Off to the SEC. | 12 |
| 10 |  | South Florida | A ground breaking year for the USF Lady Bulls who reached the WCWS for the first time after hosting a SR. | 19 |
| 11 |  | Louisiana | An oustanding season for the Rajin Cajuns who won their regional and took ASU to 3 games at the Tempe SR. | 5 |
| 12 |  | Florida | Failed to reach the WCWS for the first time in four years. Finished third in SEC, at behind Bama and the Vols. | 6 |
| 13 |  | Texas | Finished tied for 3rd in Big 12 with the Ags. Survived ealry lost in Regional to host a SR, where they fell to Oregon. | 8 |
| 14 |  | Washington | Eighth in the PAC-12 finishing only ahead of newcomer Utah. Hosted a Regional that they won. Lost at Cal in SR. | 18 |
| 15 |  | Michigan | The Big Ten Champ, surprised by beating Lousiville and reaching the Alabama Super Regional. Finsihed 42-17. | 20 |
| 16 |  | Arizona | Fell short of the WCWS for the 2nd straight year, losing to OU in the Norman Super Regional. 4th in the PAC-12. | 14 |
| 17 |  | Texas A&M | 3rd in the Big 12, tied with the UT, the Ags were upset by LSU at the College Station Regional. Moving to the SEC. | 15 |
| 18 |  | Louisville | Big East Champs finished a remarkable 55-5, upset by Michigan at their Regional. Led a group of quality Big East squads. | 11 |
| 19 |  | Stanford | Sixth in the PAC-12, the Lady Cardinal were stopped by Louisiana in the Lafayette Regional. Finished the season 40-19. | 17 |
| 20 |  | Syracuse | Third in the Big East, Syracuse pushed AZ St. to a winner-take-all-game in the Tempe Regional. Ended with a 43-15 mark. | 22 |
| 21 |  | Oregon State | Reached the post season for the first time since 2007. Seventh in the PAC-12. Fell to OU in Norman Regional Final. | 21 |
| 22 |  | Hofstra | The Colonial Conference rep stunned UCLA in Los Angeles before falling to USF on the road in the Super Regional. | NR |
| 23 |  | North Carolina | The ACC Champions could not get past Georgia in the Athens Regional. The Tar Heels will look to build on this result. | 23 |
| 24 |  | UCLA | Fifth in the PAC-12, the Bruins were winless at the Westwood Regional, upset by Hostra. Ended with a 36-20 record. | 9 |
| 25 |  | Texas Tech | Another quality season for Coach Hays bunch. 5th in the Big 12. Reached the Regionals for the 3rd consecutive year. | 25 |
Final Softball Top 25 Rankings
Thu, 06/07/2012
