ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University softball team has announced their slate of games for the 2026 season, setting the blueprint for their defense of the 2025 NCAA Division III National Championship.
The Thunder captured their second national championship in three years at the end of the 2025 season. The team finished 2025 with a 46-5 record, tying the program record for most wins, but doing it with one less loss than the 2023 team who won the program's first National Championship. It was the fifth time the team has reached the 40 wins mark for a season.
This season will begin with Trine ranked first in the nation according to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA)/GoRout Division III Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) coaches recently selected the team to win their seventh straight MIAA Championship.
This year's opponents feature three other teams ranked nationally by the NFCA and eight fellow members of the 2025 NCAA Division III Softball Championship Tournament, two of which reached the super-regional round.
The team opens the season in Florida for their annual spring break trip, this year hosted by "The Spring Games." They begin with three members of last year's championship field. On Saturday, February 28 they open with John Jay College and Bethany Lutheran College before taking on Concordia University Wisconsin on March 1. Their second game on that Sunday features Johnson & Wales University. They finish off their time in The Sunshine State with games against Illinois College and Susquehanna University.
The team shifts to Georgia for the second half of their spring break, once again competing in the NFCA Leadoff Classic. They open that even on Friday, March 6 with games against Bethel (Minn.) University and Pacific Lutheran University. Day two sees the first nationally ranked opponent on the schedule with #17 Belhaven University followed by another championship field member in the form of Berry College. They end the week on Sunday, March 8, with two more nationally ranked games. First they will face the 2024 national champions from East Texas Baptist University, ranked ninth in the nation, before taking on #20 Gettysburg College.
The Thunder open the home portion of their schedule on Saturday, March 21 with a doubleheader against Anderson (Ind.) University. They follow up with a pair of road trips to Ohio Athletic Conference opponents, first at the University of Mount Union on March 22 and then at Ohio Northern University on March 24. They host Earlham College on Sunday, March 29. The final non-conference doubleheader of the season comes on Sunday, April 19, when they host DePauw University.
The team opens MIAA competition at home against Adrian College on Saturday, April 4. They ultimately will also host Albion College, The University of Olivet and Calvin University. Their road trips come against Hope College, Saint Mary's College, Alma College and Kalamazoo College.
The final home games of the season come on Saturday, April 25 against Calvin. The regular season concludes on Sunday, May 3.
