MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Morehead State softball team has announced its 2026 schedule, a slate that will include 51 total games and 12 home contests, and begin on February 7th for the second consecutive year.
Also like last spring, there are four pre-conference tournaments and the same number of total contests.
Unlike 2025, there are only four games scheduled against teams that ended the year ranked among the top 115 in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). Last year that number was 13 in the top 106.
"We're excited to start up the 2026 season with our squad. We've got a strong and balanced schedule for our pre-season tournaments," said fourth-year head coach
Megan Griffith. "We believe this schedule will prepare our team to face the tough challenges of the OVC (Ohio Valley Conference) in March."
Morehead State posted an 8-41 overall mark last spring, including a 6-20 Ohio Valley Conference record. The Eagles finished in 10th place in the OVC. The Blue and Gold started that campaign 1-25 but found its stride in the middle of the season, finishing 7-16 over its final 23 games.
MSU had an offensive explosion, notching some of its best-ever batting marks in virtually every offensive category. On the season, the team had more triples than any year since 2017; more runs, hits, walks and fewer strikeouts since 2016; more RBI since 2013 and more doubles since 2009. The Eagles improved their batting average by 52 points and posted their highest total since 2013.
Coach Griffith returns seven letter winners and 10 total players from last spring, including six positional starters and all three pitchers. She bolstered the roster with 11 newcomers.
The February 7 opener will match the second earliest start in program history. The 2024 and 2014 campaigns also began on that date. The 2015 season's first contest was on February 6.
It also will be the second consecutive year and the second time since 2022 that the team will start the year with four tournaments. MSU also opened with four preseason tournaments from 2015-19.
Presbyterian again is the opening destination. It marks the third straight year the Eagles will play in a PC tournament. This year it is the Blue Hose Invitational and features Le Moyne, Western Michigan, Dayton and Presbyterian on February 7-8. Last year, MSU finished the Pinnacle Blue Hose Invitational 0-5, dropping two games to both George Washington and the hosts, as well as one to Northern Kentucky. The Eagles open with LeMoyne (9 a.m.) and Western Michigan (11:15 a.m.) on Day 1 and play Dayton (12:15 p.m.) and Presbyterian (2:30 p.m.) on Day 2.
Morehead State has never met Le Moyne. The Dolphins were 16-28 last spring. Western Michigan owns a 1-0 series advantage, courtesy of a 6-1 neutral-site win in 2021. It went 16-36 in 2025. Dayton is the lone team in the field which had a winning record last season. It finished 30-18 and had an RPI of 118. MSU holds a slight 27-25-1 edge over the Flyers. Morehead State and UD last met in 2023, with the host Flyers capturing a pair of 1-run decisions (3-2 and 5-4).
Presbyterian owns a 5-1 record all-time against MSU, including sweeping a pair of games last spring at its tournament (6-4 and 9-6). The Eagles' lone win in the series came in the 2024 season opener, also at PC, 6-3. The Blue Hose were 21-29 last year.
Griffith will take her club to a place she previously coached, when the Blue and Gold travel to George Mason for five games on February 13-15. The Eagles will begin with a doubleheader against the host Patriots (noon/2 p.m.), then play Cornell (10 a.m.) and GMU (3 p.m.) on Day 2, before concluding with a single contest against Cornell (10 a.m.) on Day 3.
Griffith was an assistant at Mason in 2020 and 2021. In addition, assistant coach Emily Bankson played at George Mason from 2018-21.
The Eagles are 2-0 all-time against the Patriots, having captured a pair of decisions (5-0 and 7-5) in back-to-back tournaments to open the 2006 campaign. GMU finished 18-35 in 2025. Cornell was 16-22 last season. That series is tied 1-1, with Morehead State winning the 1997 matchup 4-1 and the Big Red claiming a 1998 meeting 8-2. Both of those outings took place in Orlando, Fla., at the Rebel Spring Games.
From February 20-22, the Eagles will be at the Blues City Invitational hosted by Memphis. The Blue and Gold will open with Bradley (2 p.m. ET) and Indiana State (6 p.m. ET) on the first day, before meeting Northern Illinois (6 p.m. ET) and ISU (8 p.m. ET) again in its first night action of the year on Day 2. North Carolina A&T is the Day 3 opponent. That game is at noon ET.
A tournament with at least eight teams, MSU will not face the host Tigers. The Eagles lead the series with both Bradley and N.C. A&T 2-0 and have never met Northern Illinois. Only Indiana State (4-1) holds an advantage over MSU. Morehead State topped BU 2-1 in 2002 and 11-10 in 2016, and defeated A&T 8-3 and 5-0 at the start of 2020. The Eagles and Sycamores last met in 2012, when MSU picked up an 8-2 win.
Last spring, Bradley finished 25-30, with Indiana State at 19-33, Northern Illinois at 21-30 and North Carolina A&T at 12-38.
The final tournament figures to be the toughest, with games against Lamar, Jackson State, Southern Mississippi and Chattanooga at the Eagle Hub City Classic in Hattiesburg, Miss. The three-day event spans February 27 to March 1. It features matchups with Lamar (10 a.m. ET) and Jackson State (12:30 p.m. ET) on the first day, Southern Miss (5:30 p.m. ET) and Chattanooga (8 p.m. ET) on the second day, before concluding with Lamar on Sunday, Mar. 1 at 11 a.m. ET.
Except for Jackson State, Lamar (154), Southern Miss (123) and Chattanooga (48) all boasted RPI's in the top half of the nation in 2025. MSU and Lamar have never met. Southern Miss (1-0) and Chattanooga (4-0) have slight series leads, while the Eagles and JSU are tied at 2-2.
In 2025, Lamar finished 29-27, while Jackson State, an NCAA Tournament participant, had a similar record at 29-25. Perennial power USM was 23-29. Chattanooga had the best overall mark of the bunch at 41-15. MSU and the host Golden Eagles met in 2020 (a 13-2 Southern Miss win), with the UTC games coming in 2005 (two 9-1 Chattanooga victories) and 2019 (6-2 and 10-2 Mocs' wins). The Eagles and Tigers faced off in 2008 (an 8-0 Morehead State victory), 2015 (splitting at JSU; with a 4-1 defeat and an 11-5 win) and 2020 (a Jackson State win 7-2).
The Eagles' home opener also will be their first conference game, when they entertain defending OVC regular season and tournament champion Eastern Illinois on March 7 (noon/2:30 p.m.) and March 8 (noon). The Panthers lead the series 56-24, swept all three games at home last spring and have won the last 22 overall. Morehead State's last victory over EIU came at home in 2015 (4-3).
Eastern Illinois finished the 2025 campaign with a 34-22 overall mark, a 21-5 OVC record and ranked 131st in the RPI.
For the second straight year, MSU will travel north to face in-state foe Northern Kentucky. The two teams actually met four times in 2025, including in three tournaments, with the Norse winning all four (11-0, 18-15, 10-5 and 4-0). This year's meeting will be a doubleheader on Wednesday, Mar. 11 (2/4:40 p.m.).
NKU finished the 2025 campaign with a 22-27 record. Morehead State leads the series 27-17-1. Prior to last spring, the last time the two met was in 2018, when the Eagles won 9-4 in North Carolina. MSU's last victory in Highland Heights, Ky., came as part of a doubleheader sweep in 2016 (5-0 and 6-2).
The Blue and Gold next hit the road for six straight contests away from home, beginning with a three-game series at SIU Edwardsville on March 14 (1/3:30 p.m. ET) and March 15 (1 p.m. ET). SIUE has dominated the series, leading it by a 33-6 edge, and won all three outings last spring in Morehead. The Eagles did defeat the Cougars in the last meeting in Illinois (3-1 on May 5, 2024).
SIUE finished the 2025 season with a 32-22 overall mark and a 19-6 record in the OVC.
The Blue and Gold return to the Land of Lincoln to face Western Illinois on March 21 (1/3:30 p.m. ET) and March 22 (1 p.m.). WIU is the only foe on MSU's schedule that had a lower RPI last year (297, Morehead State was 290th).
The Eagles have dominated the series with the Leathernecks, which finished 11-37 overall and 7-20 in the conference last year. Since WIU joined the OVC, Morehead State has won five of six meetings. Last spring, the Blue and Gold swept the Leathernecks (10-6, 16-6 and 6-5). The last time the two faced off in Macomb, Ill., MSU won 10-2 and 5-1, and fell 3-2 (with the winning run coming in the bottom of the seventh). Overall, the Eagles have a 5-2-1 series lead.
Back at home, Morehead State will host Tennessee Tech for the final time as an OVC opponent. The Golden Eagles will be in town on March 28 (noon/2:30 p.m.) and March 29 (noon).
TTU went 21-35 overall and 11-16 in the conference last spring. It owns an 82-35 series advantage, the most wins against the Eagles by any opponent on this year's schedule. Tech swept the contests in 2025 (10-2, 8-0 and 3-1) all in Cookeville, Tenn. MSU did take a game from the Golden Eagles in 2024 (4-2), the last time the two played in Morehead.
The Eagles return to the road for their next four contests, beginning with a doubleheader at Southern Indiana on April 3 (1/3:30 p.m. ET), followed by a single game against the Screaming Eagles on April 4 (1 p.m. ET).
USI went 13-25 overall and 13-11 in the OVC last year. Southern Indiana holds a slight 8-6 advantage in the teams' history, with MSU winning the 2025 series at home by taking games one and two, 9-0 and 5-1, respectively. USI won the finale 14-4. The Screaming Eagles swept the 2024 meetings in Evansville, Ind. (4-1, 2-1 and 8-0). This year will be the third time MSU has played at USI. The Eagles have never beaten Southern Indiana on its home field (0-5).
Morehead State will step out of conference to play its first regular-season game against a Power 4 school since Coach Griffith's first season (2023) when it faced Pittsburgh in Huntington, W.Va. The April 8 meeting with Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., will be a single game starting at 6 p.m. UK was the last major-conference school the Eagles played in a true road outing. The result was a 13-1 defeat in 2021.
The Wildcats went 31-28 in 2025, a record that was good enough to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. There they finished 2-2. UK ended the year with an RPI of 37, which is the highest among MSU's opponents this spring.
Kentucky holds a 24-1 edge in the series, with the Eagles collecting their win (4-1) the first time the two played on April 30, 1997. The teams last met in 2021, with UK ending up on top 13-1 in five innings.
MSU will host Tennessee State on April 11 (noon/2:30 p.m.) and April 12 (noon). The Eagles have more wins over the Tigers than any other team (70-26). The next highest total of victories is 46 against Austin Peay.
Morehead State dropped all three meetings with TSU (8-0, 8-0 and 12-2) last season in Nashville, Tenn. All three games lasted just five innings. However, the Tigers' success against the Eagles extends beyond that. Despite a significant deficit in the series, TSU has won at least once each year in which the two have played since 2019. MSU went 1-2 against Tennessee State in 2024, the last time the teams met in Morehead. The Eagles won the opener 6-1 but dropped the final two (15-3 and 4-3). Morehead State is 39-7 at home versus the Tigers.
Tennessee State finished the 2025 campaign 23-22 overall and 13-13 in conference play.
Archrival Eastern Kentucky will host the Blue and Gold for a midweek doubleheader on April 15 (3:30/6 p.m.). It is MSU's third and final non-conference matchup after the conclusion of preseason tournaments.
EKU boasted a 38-16 mark last spring and earned an RPI of 64. The Colonels own a series lead of 69-26. Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky have met in all but two seasons since 1993.
The Maroon and White have won the last nine in Richmond, Ky., and are 36-11 overall against the Eagles at home. It swept the 2024 meetings in Morehead (15-9 and 15-1) and the 2023 outings in Richmond (5-4 and 8-0). MSU's last win in the series was in 2022 (3-1) and last victory at EKU was in 2015 (7-4).
A trip to Martin, Tenn., follows on April 18 (1/3:30 p.m. ET) and April 19 (1 p.m. ET), with the Eagles taking on UT Martin. It is the third straight year the teams will meet in Martin. The Skyhawks ended the 2025 campaign 16-31 overall and 8-17 in the OVC.
UTM leads its series with MSU 63-22. The teams only faced twice last year. The contests were originally scheduled to be played in Morehead but were moved due to weather and field conditions. The first game ended up being cancelled due to weather anyway.
The Skyhawks won four of the five most recent meetings in Tennessee, including 11-2 and 9-5 last year. They also captured the first and third outings of 2024 (10-0 and 8-0). MSU won the middle contest 1-0.
A three-game set with Southeast Missouri marks the final home stand. The teams will square off on April 25 (noon/2:30 p.m.) and April 26 (noon). The Redhawks were 27-19 overall and 17-9 in league play in 2025.
SEMO has a 75-22 all-time advantage and has won the last 17 meetings, including every series dating back to 2018, when the Eagles last claimed a victory (4-1 in the OVC Tournament). Southeast Missouri captured all three meetings last year (11-7, 8-1 and 5-4). Morehead State trails 26-12 in the games at home. The Eagles won four straight at the University Field between 2014-16, their most recent victories at MSU.
The regular season concludes with a three-game series at Lindenwood on May 1 (2/4:30 p.m. ET) and May 2 (1 p.m. ET). It will be just MSU's second ever trip to the St. Charles, Mo., school. The Lions were 24-25 last year with a 14-12 record in the OVC.
LU holds a 7-2 all-time advantage over the Blue and Gold. Last spring at home, Morehead State won the series opener 15-4, before falling in the final two outings 8-4 and 12-7. The Eagles dropped all three contests at Lindenwood in 2024 (6-1, 2-1 and 2-0). Their only other win in the series was the final game in Morehead in 2023 (8-0).
The OVC Tournament will take place in Peoria, Ill., for the third straight year. The Eagles have not qualified for the eight-team event since 2023, when it was last held in Oxford, Ala. The 2026 competition will run from May 6-9.
The NCAA Tournament will begin Friday, May 15 at 16 sites across the country. The Women's College World Series will run from May 28-June 5.
2026 Schedule
Saturday Feb. 7 vs. LeMoyne @ Clinton, S.C. 9 a.m.
Saturday Feb. 7 vs. Western Michigan @ Clinton, S.C. 11:15 a.m.
Sunday Feb. 8 vs. Dayton @ Clinton, S.C. 12:15 p.m.
Sunday Feb. 8 at Presbyterian @ Clinton, S.C. 2:30 p.m.
Friday Feb. 13 at George Mason # Clinton, S.C. noon
Friday Feb. 13 at George Mason # Fairfax, Va. 2 p.m.
Saturday Feb. 14 vs. Cornell # Fairfax, Va. 10 a.m.
Saturday Feb. 14 at George Mason # Fairfax, Va. 3 p.m.
Sunday Feb. 15 vs. Cornell # Fairfax, Va. 10 a.m.
Friday Feb. 20 vs. Bradley $ Memphis, Tenn. 2 p.m.
Friday Feb. 20 vs. Indiana State $ Memphis, Tenn. 6 p.m.
Saturday Feb. 21 vs. Northern Illinois $ Memphis, Tenn. 6 p.m.
Saturday Feb. 21 vs. Indiana State $ Memphis, Tenn. 8 p.m.
Sunday Feb. 22 vs. North Carolina A&T $ Memphis, Tenn. noon
Friday Feb. 27 vs. Lamar % Hattiesburg, Miss. 10 a.m.
Friday Feb. 27 vs. Jackson State % Hattiesburg, Miss. 12:30 p.m.
Saturday Feb. 28 at Southern Mississippi % Hattiesburg, Miss. 5:30 p.m.
Saturday Feb. 28 vs. Chattanooga % Hattiesburg, Miss. 8 p.m.
Sunday Mar. 1 vs. Lamar % Hattiesburg, Miss. 11 a.m.
Saturday Mar. 7 Eastern Illinois * Morehead, Ky. noon
Saturday Mar. 7 Eastern Illinois * Morehead, Ky. 2:30 p.m.
Sunday Mar. 8 Eastern Illinois * Morehead, Ky. noon
Wednesday Mar. 11 at Northern Kentucky Highland Heights, Ky. 2 p.m.
Wednesday Mar. 11 at Northern Kentucky Highland Heights, Ky. 4:30 p.m.
Saturday Mar. 14 at SIU Edwardsville * Edwardsville, Ill. 1 p.m.
Saturday Mar. 14 at SIU Edwardsville * Edwardsville, Ill. 3:30 p.m.
Sunday Mar. 15 at SIU Edwardsville * Edwardsville, Ill. 1 p.m.
Saturday Mar. 21 at Western Illinois * Macomb, Ill. 1 p.m.
Saturday Mar. 21 at Western Illinois * Macomb, Ill. 3:30 p.m.
Sunday Mar. 22 at Western Illinois * Macomb, Ill. 1 p.m.
Saturday Mar. 28 Tennessee Tech * Morehead, Ky. noon
Saturday Mar. 28 Tennessee Tech * Morehead, Ky. 2:30 p.m.
Sunday Mar. 29 Tennessee Tech * Morehead, Ky. noon
Friday Apr. 3 at Southern Indiana * Evansville, Ind. 1 p.m.
Friday Apr. 3 at Southern Indiana * Evansville, Ind. 3:30 p.m.
Saturday Apr. 4 at Southern Indiana * Evansville, Ind. 1 p.m.
Wednesday Apr. 8 at Kentucky Lexington, Ky. 6 p.m.
Saturday Apr. 11 Tennessee State * Morehead, Ky. noon
Saturday Apr. 11 Tennessee State * Morehead, Ky. 2:30 p.m.
Sunday Apr. 12 Tennessee State * Morehead, Ky. noon
Wednesday Apr. 15 at Eastern Kentucky Richmond, Ky. 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday Apr. 15 at Eastern Kentucky Richmond, Ky. 6 p.m.
Saturday Apr. 18 at UT Martin * Martin, Tenn. 1 p.m.
Saturday Apr. 18 at UT Martin * Martin, Tenn. 3:30 p.m.
Sunday Apr. 19 at UT Martin * Martin, Tenn. 1 p.m.
Saturday Apr. 25 Southeast Missouri * Morehead, Ky. noon
Saturday Apr. 25 Southeast Missouri * Morehead, Ky. 2:30 p.m.
Sunday Apr. 26 Southeast Missouri * Morehead, Ky. noon
Friday May 1 at Lindenwood * St. Charles, Mo. 2 p.m.
Friday May 1 at Lindenwood * St. Charles, Mo. 4:30 p.m.
Sunday May 2 at Lindenwood * St. Charles, Mo. 1 p.m.
Wednesday May 6 OVC Tournament Peoria, Ill. TBA
Thursday May 7 OVC Tournament Peoria, Ill. TBA
Friday May 8 OVC Tournament Peoria, Ill. TBA
Saturday May 9 OVC Tournament Peoria, Ill. TBA
* Ohio Valley Conference contest
@ Blue Hose Invitational (Clinton, S.C.)
# George Mason Tournament (Fairfax, Va.)
$ Blues City Invitational (Memphis, Tenn.)
% Eagle Hub City Classic (Hattiesburg, Miss.)
All Times Eastern
