GAME INFO
Location: Eagle Field at GS Softball Complex
- Feb. 6: UNC Greensboro (9 AM CT) / Eastern Illinois (11:30 AM CT)
- Follow vs. UNCG: StatBroadcast
- Follow vs. EIU: StatBroadcast
- Feb. 7: UNC Greensboro (9 AM CT) / Georgia Southern (11:30 AM CT)
- Follow vs. UNC Greensboro: StatBroadcast
- Watch vs. Georgia Southern: ESPN+
- Follow vs. Georgia Southern: StatBroadcast
- Feb. 8: Eastern Illinois (8:30 AM CT)
- Follow: StatBroadcast
- WKU had quite the 2025 season, finishing with a 30-21-1 record and a 14-10-1 mark in Conference USA play. The Tops also finished the season in dramatic fashion, improving from eighth to second in the conference after winning 12 of their last 17 conference games.
- The Hilltoppers return eight of their nine starters from the 2025 season, including Second Team All-Conference member Maci Masters and All-Freshman member Erica Houge.
- Masters led WKU's offense with a team-high .320 batting average, 14 home runs, a slugging percentage of .667, and a staggering 1.111 OPS.
- WKU brought back their entire pitching staff from the 2025 season, totaling 352.2 innings pitched led by Rylan Smith with 140.2. Across her 140.2 innings pitched, Smith led with 129 strikeouts and an opponent batting average of .223. She also recorded the most wins with 15.
- The six newcomers are comprised of four freshmen and two transfers. WKU also brings back a total of 14 returners.
SERIES INFORMATION
- UNC Greensboro
- WKU has never played UNC Greensboro. This weekend's meetings will be the first between the two programs.
- Eastern Illinois
- The Tops are 4-2 all time against the Panthers. WKU played EIU during the 2025 season down in Troy, Ala., winning game one in five innings, 10-0, and the second, 2-0. The Hilltoppers are on a five-game win streak against EIU and are 1-1 when playing them on neutral territory.
- Georgia Southern
- Georgia Southern is the second program this weekend that has never faced the Hilltoppers.
- Spartans
- UNCG finished the 2025 season with a 39-18 record and a 14-6 record in the SoCon. For the 2026 season, they were selected to finish first in their conference, with six selected to preseason teams.
- In 2025, the Spartans broke their single season record for RBI with 318. The 2026 squad features 12 freshmen, seven freshmen, and two transfers. Highlighting the Spartans is Kaylyn Belfield who set the single-season batting average record at .431. Macy Michael was also named SoCon's 2025 Freshman of the Year.
- Panthers
- EIU finished the 2025 season with a 34-22 record and a 21-5 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference and won both the regular season and tournament titles, earning their second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years.
- Karlie Mackenzie leads the Panthers with 38 appearances and 17 total starts in the circle during the 2025 season. She earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors and was named OVC Tournament MVP while finishing the season with a 2.79 ERA. On offense, Mo Hance leads the way, returning after a 2025 campaign where she posted a .360 batting average and 16 RBI.
- Eagles
- Georgia Southern finished the 2025 season with a 29-25 record and a 13-11 mark in the Sun Belt before being eliminated in the conference tournament.
- Maddie Johnson returns to the circle after earning NFCA Third Team All-South Region honors and posting a 2.03 ERA. She tossed a total of 110 strikeouts and held opponents to a .220 batting average. Alana Barnard and Delanie Thames were named Second Team All-Sun Belt after Barnard posted a 5-2 record and a 2.15 ERA while Thomas hit .267 overall with a slugging percentage of .479.
