FLORENCE, Ala. (January 13, 2025) – The University of North Alabama softball program announced its 2026 schedule on Tuesday, as the Lions are scheduled to begin the season Feb. 6 at the Trojan Classic hosted by Troy.
UNA will play 50 games on this year's schedule, including 18 home games. The first home series will take place Feb. 28 through March 1 against Evansville.
The premium event of the season is set for Tuesday, March 10 as the Lions host Ole Miss from the SEC. This game, and all other home games, will be played at Hilda B. Anderson Softball Stadium. First pitch against the Rebels is set for 5 p.m.
The Lions will play in three non-conference invitationals this February — all in Alabama. Those will be hosted by Troy, Samford and South Alabama. Some notable midweek trips for UNA include Memphis on March 11, Alabama on March 25 and the return trip to Ole Miss on April 14.
Softball tickets will go on sale in the coming days. For more information, call 256-765-5466 (LION) or email athleticstickets@una.edu.
"I am super excited about our schedule this year," said UNA head coach Ashley Cozart, who enters her 13th season at the helm. "I think I say this every year, but it could be our hardest one yet. Our non-conference matchups I am most excited about are MTSU, Troy, South Alabama, Samford, Belmont and Memphis — also to add in there three SEC games against Ole Miss and Alabama.
"Ole Miss will be coming to Florence in early March and we need a lot of purple at that game! We really mixed things up with our schedule this year and wanted to make things tough to prepare us for conference play starting in March. I am looking forward to seeing what this team can do against a tough schedule."
UNA returns 15 players from last season, including four pitchers, two catchers, two infielders and seven outfielders with some that serve as utility players. Three returners are all-conference players with senior pitcher Alivia Wilken and junior infielder Briley Dover earning honors in 2024 and senior outfielder Laura Leigh Wheeler landing honors in 2025.
Thirteen newcomers join the fold in 2026. Among those are three Division I transfers, including first baseman Holly Merritt from Miami (OH), infielder Jenna Madison from UAB and pitcher Rylee Tittle, a former Deshler High School standout, from UT Martin.
To view the full schedule, click here.
2026 North Alabama Softball Schedule
February 6-8 at the Trojan Classic (Troy, Ala.)
February 13-15 at the Samford Tournament (Birmingham, Ala.)
February 20-22 at the South Alabama Invitational (Mobile, Ala.)
February 28-March 1 vs. Evansville
March 7-9 vs. Detroit Mercy
March 8 vs. Gardner-Webb & West Georgia (Carrollton, Ga.)
March 10 vs. Ole Miss
March 11 at Memphis
March 14-15 vs. Central Arkansas ***
March 21-22 at Austin Peay ***
March 25 at Alabama
March 28-29 at Bellarmine ***
April 3-4 vs. Lipscomb ***
April 8 at Tennessee Tech
April 11-12 at EKU ***
April 14 at Ole Miss
April 18-19 vs. Austin Peay ***
April 25-26 at Central Arkansas ***
May 1-2 vs. Bellarmine ***
May 4-9 at ASUN Championship hosted by North Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.)
*Home
*Away
*** Conference Series
NOTES
BACK TO TROY: For the second time in three seasons, UNA will begin the regular season with five games at the Trojan Classic on Feb. 6-8. The Lions will play Middle Tennessee in the first and last games, Chattanooga, Southern and Troy. In 2024, UNA went 4-1 in this tournament with the only loss coming to Troy in extra innings. In her UNA debut, Alivia Wilken tossed the first perfect game in program history with a 1-0 win over Samford.
MAGIC CITY SHOWDOWN: Speaking of Samford, the Lions will play five games at Samford on Feb. 13-15. UNA will play two games each against Lindenwood and Belmont and then one against Samford in between. Last year, UNA swept Lindenwood with a pair of five-inning shutouts. UNA will also play Belmont for the first time since 2022.
BAY BOUND: The third week of the season involves a trip to Mobile, Ala. for the South Alabama Invitational. The Lions will play two games against Loyola Chicago, one against Atlantic Sun Conference foe West Georgia and one against UT Martin. The final game will take place that Sunday against South Alabama.
HOME SWEET HOME: Much like last year, UNA will open the home portion of the schedule in late February. This year's opener will include a three-game series against Evansville starting with a doubleheader on Feb. 28 and the series finale on March 1. The following week will see a familiar opponent, Detroit Mercy, make a trip to Florence for the third straight season on March 7.
QUICK TURNAROUNDS: March 8 will be the first of two instances this season where UNA will play a home game, then will travel for a road game the next day. After the Detroit Mercy double-header, UNA will head to Carrollton, Ga. to play a double-header against Gardner-Webb and West Georgia. The Lions will do this again after hosting Ole Miss at Hilda B. Anderson Softball Stadium on March 10, traveling to Memphis on March 11.
FINAL NON-CONFERENCE GAMES: The Lions will play midweek games against Alabama on March 25, Tennessee Tech on April 8 and Ole Miss on April 14. All three will take place during Atlantic Sun Conference play. All three will take place on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
ASUN GAMES: The Lions begin ASUN play on March 14-15 at home against Central Arkansas. UNA will play 24 games against the league this year over eight weekends. Home series dates include Lipscomb on April 3-4, Austin Peay on April 18-19 and Bellarmine on May 1-2. The Lions will travel to Austin Peay, Bellarmine, EKU and Central Arkansas.
ASUN CHAMPIONSHIP: North Florida will be the host site for the 2026 ASUN Softball Championship in Jacksonville, Fla. The tournament runs from May 4-9.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
