MOREHEAD, Ky. – Four early-season tournaments and 17 home contests highlight the Morehead State softball team's 51-game schedule for 2025. The season will begin on Friday, Feb. 7.
Morehead State finished 2024 with a 12-28 overall mark and a 6-21 Ohio Valley Conference record. The Blue and Gold return five letter winners, all starters, along with two other players who saw limited action, and welcome nine newcomers for coach
Megan Griffith's third season.
The February 7 opener will match the second earliest start in program history. The 2014 campaign also began on that date. The 2015 season's first contest was on February 6.
It will be the first time since 2022 MSU will play four tournaments to open the year. The team also played four preseason tournaments from 2015-19. The 2025 events will fall on consecutive weekends throughout the month of February.
This year's slate includes 13 contests against teams which finished in the top 106 in the final NCAA Division I Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). The group includes Florida Atlantic (44), Eastern Kentucky (59), Northern Iowa (77), Southeast Missouri (97), Creighton (105) and Eastern Illinois (106). MSU finished 266th.
For the second straight year, the Eagles will begin the campaign at Presbyterian. This year's event is the three-day Pinnacle Blue Hose Invitational and, like last spring, will feature five contests, two apiece with George Washington and host Presbyterian, along with a single game against rival Northern Kentucky. The Eagles and Colonels will face each other at 10 a.m. on the seventh in the opening contest. MSU will also face Presby that afternoon, with games on Saturday against GW and NKU, before concluding with a Sunday match against PC.
Last year, the club went 3-2 against the Pinnacle PC Invitational field, splitting games with the host Blue Hose and Valparaiso, while also toppling Youngstown State. In the process, it notched its best results in its opening tournament since the 2018 squad began 3-1 at the Mercer Invitational and marked the second straight year MSU started its campaign 2-2.
The Eagles enter this year's tournament with a 27-13-1 record against Northern Kentucky and a 1-3 mark against Presbyterian. It will be the first ever meeting against George Washington.
Last year, GW finished 27-26, with NKU at 27-22 and Presby at 15-36.
The next weekend, the Eagles will head to Kennesaw, Ga., for the five-game Kennesaw State Tournament. Like the PC event, MSU will play twice on Friday, twice on Saturday and once on Sunday. Morehead State also participated in tournaments at KSU in 2015 and 2016. It went 0-2 the first year and 2-1 in the second. Last spring, the Eagles' second tournament also was in Georgia (the Mercer Bear Invitational in Macon).
The Blue and Gold will open the Kennesaw State Tournament with traditional powerhouse Creighton, which finished 36-22 last spring. The Eagles will then meet host Kennesaw State for their first evening contest of the year (7 p.m.). The Owls ended the 2024 campaign with a 16-37 record.
The next day, the Eagles will meet a familiar foe in Northern Kentucky. It is the second of four meetings of the season between the two teams. MSU will face KSU for the second time that night and then conclude the tournament with another match against Creighton on Sunday, Feb. 16.
All time, MSU is 0-1 against Creighton and 1-5 versus Kennesaw State.
The third tournament marks a return to South Carolina, this time Greenville for the Furman Classic. Another three-day, five-game affair includes host Furman, plus Holy Cross, Northern Iowa and former OVC foe Austin Peay. The Eagles will face Holy Cross twice and each of the other three teams once.
Last year, Holy Cross went 14-35, Northern Iowa went 33-17, Furman went 24-30 and Austin Peay went 23-29. MSU is 46-42-1 all-time against APSU and 1-2 against Furman. It will be Morehead State's first meeting with both Northern Iowa and Holy Cross.
The end of February and start of March features the final tournament, the Governors Classic at Austin Peay. The Eagles will meet the Govs twice and Northern Kentucky for the third time, all sandwiched between games against Florida Atlantic.
An at-large participant in last spring's NCAA tournament, FAU dropped both games in the Big Dance (1-0 to South Alabama and 3-2 to Florida Gulf Coast), finishing the season 41-16. MSU faced Florida Atlantic once before, falling 2-1 at the 1995 Rebel Spring Games in Orlando, Fla.
The OVC campaign begins on Saturday, Mar. 8 against SIU Edwardsville. It also will be the team's home opener. All conference contests will feature a three-game series with a doubleheader on the first day followed by a single contest on day two. With one exception, all OVC matches will be on Saturday and Sunday.
SIUE will be making its fifth trip to Morehead in the last seven years. The Cougars hold a 30-7 series advantage, including 20-4 at MSU. SIUE was 19-35 overall and 10-17 in conference play last season, finishing eighth in the league standings.
For the fourth time in less than a month, the Eagles will face Northern Kentucky. This time the meeting will be in Highland Heights, Ky. It will be a single game on Wednesday, Mar. 12 at 4 p.m.
MSU will stay on the road to face defending conference regular-season champion Eastern Illinois on March 15-16 in Charleston, Ill. The Panthers finished 40-17 overall and 22-5 in league play last season. EIU leads the series 47-24 and 19-11 on its home field.
The Eagles will return home to host a three-game series with Southern Indiana on March 22-23. The Screaming Eagles went 25-22 overall and 16-11 last season, finishing fourth in the OVC. The overall series is tied at 4-4, but USI is 3-0 in Morehead.
MSU will play its first non-conference home game on Wednesday, Mar. 26, when Bellarmine comes to town. Last year, the Knights finished 13-32-1. Among all Division I teams it has played at least 10 times, Morehead State has the best winning percentage against Bellarmine. The Eagles are 18-2 overall and 11-1 at home in the series.
The final weekend of March features a trip to Nashville, Tenn., for a three-game set with Tennessee State. The Tigers posted a 26-25 overall mark last season and captured third place in the league with a 15-10 record. The Eagles have had more success against TSU than any other OVC team. MSU leads the series 68-23 and owns a 39-7 advantage at home.
Archrival Eastern Kentucky comes to town for a mid-week doubleheader on Wednesday, Apr. 2. The two teams have met every year since 1993, except the 2020 Covid-shortened season and last spring when two sets of twin bills were cancelled. It will be the year's final non-conference contests and the lone doubleheader of that group.
The Colonels finished the 2024 campaign with a 42-10 record and won the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season. EKU leads the series 65-25, including 23-13 in Morehead.
UT Martin makes a trip to MSU for a three-game slate on April 5-6. The Skyhawks, which finished 30-22 overall and 15-12 and in fifth place in the OVC last year, lead the all-time series 60-23. They are 25-10 all-time on Morehead State's University Softball Field.
The OVC's 2024 tournament champion and NCAA participant, Southeast Missouri, is next up for the Blue and Gold. The Eagles will play in Cape Girardeau, Mo., on April 12-13. The Redhawks lead the all-time series 74-21 and 39-7 on their home field. Last spring, SEMO finished 28-26 overall and 19-8 in the OVC.
Lindenwood makes its second-ever trip to Morehead, when the Lions come to town on April 18-19. Because Easter falls on Sunday the 20th, the LU series will be the only one to include a doubleheader on Friday, with a single game on Saturday. Last year's Lions' squad posted a 25-25 overall record and a 13-14 conference mark to place sixth. Lindenwood has a 5-1 series edge, including a 2-1 mark at MSU, over the Eagles.
Western Illinois will make its debut at the University Softball Field on Saturday, Apr. 26. The second-year OVC member finished its inaugural campaign with a 5-22 mark and in 10th place. Overall, the Leathernecks sported a 16-34 mark. The all-time matchup between the two teams is knotted 2-2-1.
The regular season concludes with a series at Tennessee Tech on May 3-4. The Golden Eagles finished in seventh in the OVC last season after posting records of 23-24 (overall) and 12-13 (conference). TTU leads the all-time series 78-33. In 2023, the last time the two met in Cookeville, Tenn., MSU won all three games. TTU is 36-16 at home versus the Eagles.
After one year away from the OVC Tournament, the Blue and Gold will look to make a return trip when the event begins on May 7. Like last spring, the games will be held in Peoria, Ill. The eight-team affair will conclude on May 10.
"I am ecstatic to kick (the) season off with our 2025 team. We've got an incredible group of athletes with a competitive mindset," Griffith said. "Our (non-conference) schedule is going to provide us with the competition we need to prepare for our conference opponents."
2025 Morehead State Softball Schedule
Friday Feb. 7 vs. George Washington @ Clinton, S.C. 10 a.m.
Friday Feb. 7 at Presbyterian @ Clinton, S.C. 2:30 p.m.
Saturday Feb. 8 vs. Northern Kentucky @ Clinton, S.C. 10 a.m.
Saturday Feb. 8 vs. Northern Kentucky @ Clinton, S.C. 12:15 p.m.
Sunday Feb. 9 at Presbyterian @ Clinton, S.C. 12:15 p.m.
Friday Feb. 14 vs. Creighton # Kennesaw, Ga. 1 p.m.
Friday Feb. 14 at Kennesaw State # Kennesaw, Ga. 7 p.m.
Saturday Feb. 15 vs. Northern Kentucky # Kennesaw, Ga. 1 p.m.
Saturday Feb. 15 at Kennesaw State # Kennesaw, Ga. 7 p.m.
Sunday Feb. 16 vs. Creighton # Kennesaw, Ga. 11 a.m.
Friday Feb. 21 vs. Holy Cross $ Greenville, S.C. 10 a.m.
Friday Feb. 21 vs. Northern Iowa $ Greenville, S.C. 12:30 p.m.
Saturday Feb. 22 at Furman $ Greenville, S.C. 4:30 p.m.
Saturday Feb. 22 vs. Austin Peay $ Greenville, S.C. 7 p.m.
Sunday Feb. 23 vs. Holy Cross $ Greenville, S.C. 9 a.m.
Friday Feb. 28 vs. Florida Atlantic % Clarksville, Tenn. 11:30 a.m.
Friday Feb. 28 at Austin Peay % Clarksville, Tenn. 7 p.m.
Saturday Mar. 1 at Austin Peay % Clarksville, Tenn. 4:30 p.m.
Saturday Mar. 1 vs. Northern Kentucky % Clarksville, Tenn. 7 p.m.
Sunday Mar. 2 vs. Florida Atlantic % Clarksville, Tenn. 11:30 a.m.
Saturday Mar. 8 SIU Edwardsville * Morehead, Ky. Noon
Saturday Mar. 8 SIU Edwardsville * Morehead, Ky. 2:30 p.m.
Sunday Mar. 9 SIU Edwardsville * Morehead, Ky. 1 p.m.
Wednesday Mar. 12 at Northern Kentucky Highland Heights, Ky. 4 p.m.
Saturday Mar. 15 at Eastern Illinois * Charleston, Ill. 1 p.m.
Saturday Mar. 15 at Eastern Illinois * Charleston, Ill. 3:30 p.m.
Sunday Mar. 16 at Eastern Illinois * Charleston, Ill. 1 p.m.
Saturday Mar. 22 Southern Indiana * Morehead, Ky. Noon
Saturday Mar. 22 Southern Indiana * Morehead, Ky. 2:30 p.m.
Sunday Mar. 23 Southern Indiana * Morehead, Ky. Noon
Wednesday Mar. 26 Bellarmine Morehead, Ky. 3 p.m.
Saturday Mar. 29 at Tennessee State * Nashville, Tenn. TBA
Saturday Mar. 29 at Tennessee State * Nashville, Tenn. TBA
Sunday Mar. 30 at Tennessee State * Nashville, Tenn. TBA
Wednesday Apr. 2 Eastern Kentucky Morehead, Ky. 1 p.m.
Wednesday Apr. 2 Eastern Kentucky Morehead, Ky. 3:30 p.m.
Saturday Apr. 5 UT Martin * Morehead, Ky. Noon
Saturday Apr. 5 UT Martin * Morehead, Ky. 2:30 p.m.
Sunday Apr. 6 UT Martin * Morehead, Ky. Noon
Saturday Apr. 12 at Southeast Missouri * Cape Girardeau, Mo. TBA
Saturday Apr. 12 at Southeast Missouri * Cape Girardeau, Mo. TBA
Sunday Apr. 13 at Southeast Missouri * Cape Girardeau, Mo. TBA
Friday Apr. 18 Lindenwood * Morehead, Ky. Noon
Friday Apr. 18 Lindenwood * Morehead, Ky. 2:30 p.m.
Saturday Apr. 19 Lindenwood * Morehead, Ky. Noon
Saturday Apr. 26 Western Illinois * Morehead, Ky. Noon
Saturday Apr. 26 Western Illinois * Morehead, Ky. 2:30 p.m.
Sunday Apr. 27 Western Illinois * Morehead, Ky. Noon
Saturday May 3 at Tennessee Tech * Cookeville, Tenn. 1 p.m.
Saturday May 3 at Tennessee Tech * Cookeville, Tenn. 3:30 p.m.
Sunday May 4 at Tennessee Tech * Cookeville, Tenn. 1 p.m.
Wednesday May 7 OVC Tournament Peoria, Ill. TBA
Thursday May 8 OVC Tournament Peoria, Ill. TBA
Friday May 9 OVC Tournament Peoria, Ill. TBA
Saturday May 10 OVC Tournament Peoria, Ill. TBA
* Ohio Valley Conference contest
@ Pinnacle Blue Hose Invitational (Clinton, S.C.)
# Kennesaw State Tournament (Kennesaw, Ga.)
$ Furman Classic (Greenville, S.C.)
% Governors Classic (Clarksville, Tenn.)
