ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Griffon Softball is set to start its 2026 season this weekend in the Lone Star State, playing five games in the Lone Star D2 College Classic in Mansfield, Texas at the Fields at Station 63.

MoWest will start by facing Central Region foe Harding on Friday at 2:30 p.m. followed by a battle against in-state opponent Drury at 4:45 p.m.

The Griffons then face Texas Woman's on Saturday at 2 p.m. before seeing Texas A&M-Kingsville on Sunday at 9 a.m. and St. Edward's (TX) right after at 11:15 a.m. There's no video stream, but live stats are available.

Season Outlook
Griffon Softball is picked to finish 7^th out of 13 teams in the MIAA this season, per the preseason coaches' poll. MoWest received 84 points in the voting, sitting behind Washburn in 6^th place and ahead of 8^th place Emporia State.

The Griffons, under second year head coach Nicole Thompson, are coming off of a 32-21 mark in 2025, including a 12-12 record in MIAA play. MoWest, who's won 30 games or more in each of the last four seasons, qualified for the MIAA softball tournament last season, falling to Pittsburg State 10-7 in the quarterfinal round.

MoWest brings back a strong core of talent this season with 11 returners total, including four of the top five hitters and two starting pitchers from last season. The Griffons bring back five players who started 46 games or more in 2025, and eight players who started 16 games or more.

The Griffons also added 11 players – seven transfers and four freshmen. Three of the new players are pitchers, while eight position players were added as well. Of the seven transfers, four of them come from the NCAA Division I level.

Schedule Breakdown
Neutral-site play continues for MoWest Feb. 6–8 in San Angelo, Texas at the McCorkle Challenge hosted by Angelo State, with match ups against Texas A&M-International, No. 13 Angelo State and Ouachita Baptist.

The Griffs will also play in the D2 Battle at Branson on Feb. 13–14 in Branson, Missouri. MoWest will take on Maryville, Southern Nazarene, Quincy and Southwest Baptist that weekend.

The final non-conference tournament, the Midwest College Classic, is set for Feb. 27–March 1 in Kansas City, featuring games against Central Region foes Winona State, Minnesota State-Moorhead, Bemidji State, Concordia-St. Paul, Minnesota State and Quincy.

MoWest's home opener is set for Saturday, March 7 with a doubleheader against No. 12 Augustana. The Griffons stay home the following weekend to host Fort Hays State on Saturday, March 14 for its MIAA opener.

The first MIAA doubleheaders on the road are set for March 20–21 at Northeastern State and No. 19 Rogers State respectively. The Griffs will also travel to see No. 5 Central Oklahoma on April 4 and then come home to see No. 24 Missouri Southern on April 10.

The regular season concludes May 1 with a road doubleheader at Northwest Missouri State. The 2026 MIAA Softball Tournament is scheduled for May 6-10 at Trusler Sports Complex in Emporia, Kansas.

Fight On 50
The 2025-26 season marks the 50^th season of Griffon Softball and of women's athletics at Missouri Western State University. Softball has been a key part of that history as one of the four original women's programs that started in 1975-76.

Since that time, Griffon Softball has won 1294 games with 14 national tournament bids (11 NCAA + 3 NAIA), one national title (1982) and four MIAA championships (two tournament, two regular season).