MOREHEAD, Ky. – New Morehead State softball coach Mallory Borden will get her first chance to see the Eagles against outside competition on Friday as the club opens its fall season with the first of five games over next two and a half weeks.
Friday's single contest will be against Marshall in Huntington, W.Va., with first pitch slated to begin at 5:30 p.m.
The team will return home to host Shawnee State in a doubleheader on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 1 p.m., and then Kentucky Christian in another twin bill on Friday, Oct. 16 at 5 p.m.
Due to renovations to MSU's University Field, the Eagle home outings will be at a location to be determined, although Rowan County Senior High School is expected to be the site.
"(We are) excited to get our fall season underway. We have a great group of young ladies who are eager to learn every day," Borden said. "(We are) looking forward to kicking off our first fall game to see our team compete and continue to improve each day."
Shawnee State and KCU are annual fixtures on the fall schedule. The Eagles faced both last fall at home, defeating the Bears 4-1 and 12-5, and splitting with the Knights winning 9-7 and falling 4-3. MSU also faced the Knights during the 2022 and 2023 fall seasons, although they have never met during the regular season.
Last year's Eagles played four fall games, all at home, finishing with a 3-1 record.
Morehead State has a small 2026-27 roster, with only 16 players. There are nine returnees and seven newcomers. Last spring, the Eagles finished 7-38 overall and 6-21 and were in ninth place in the Ohio Valley Conference.
The Blue and Gold ended the campaign with a .264 batting average, hitting 20 home runs and scoring 163 times, which all rank among the top three performances in the last 10 years. However, pitching has been the team's bugaboo for the past few seasons. Last year's club finished with a 6.16 ERA, with opponents batting .344. Yet, the Eagles did improve its strikeout-to-walk ratio from the previous campaign, finishing 2026 with 168 strikeouts and 160 walks.
Among the team's key returnees are senior infielder Noemye Letendre (.342 batting average, 6 home runs, 27 RBI), junior outfielder
Sophie Collins (.280 BA), senior infielder
Sela Pickford (.278 BA, 25 runs, 8 doubles, 3 HR, 21 RBI), senior infielder
Sage VanDemark (.257 BA, 7 2B, 4 HR, 24 RBI), sophomore pitcher
Allicen Harris (0-16, 4.55 ERA, 35 strikeouts, 22 walks) and senior pitcher
Ainsley Stubbs (7-14, 5.17 ERA, 103 K, 69 BB).
Last spring, Letendre was named Second-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference and to the OVC All-Newcomer Team. Stubbs also earned All-Newcomer Team honors. Pickford was tabbed as a Second-Team All-OVC selection in 2025.
The Eagles began individual workouts on Aug. 18 and the team started practicing as a group on Sept. 18. The fall season will conclude on Oct. 30 (team) and Nov. 20 (individuals).
KCU finished 29-27 last spring and were ninth in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) poll after advancing to the NCCAA Softball World Series.
Shawnee State ended its 2026 campaign 36-15 overall and 28-8 in the River States Conference. The Eagles and Bears are tied 9-9 in the spring series history, with the last meeting coming in 2013, when the Blue and Gold won 2-0 and 6-0 at home.
Morehead State will begin practice for the 2027 season in January, with its first games expected to be in early February. A complete spring schedule will be announced at a later date.
