UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State softball program and head coach Clarisa Crowell announced the team’s 2026 season schedule on Monday afternoon, a slate that includes 53 games overall with 19 home matchups from Nittany Lion Softball Park & Beard Field.
"It is with great enthusiasm that we announce our 2026 spring schedule,” Crowell expressed. “Our team has worked hard this offseason, and I am extremely excited to see us come together this spring and compete against some of the best teams in the country. We have 18 games against teams that competed in the NCAA Tournament last year, and our team is looking forward to embracing the challenge and competing at the highest level. We have a great group this year, and our players and staff are thrilled to represent our university, alumni, fans and all supporters this spring.”
PSU will square off in 18 contests against nine opponents that reached the 2025 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament, with three of those challengers advancing to the Super Regional round and an additional pair of teams reaching the 2025 Women’s College World Series. PSU will play five combined games against reigning Women’s College World Series teams, with a pair of non-conference matchups against WCWS semifinalist Tennessee scheduled in late February in addition to a three-game road Big Ten Conference series against the Oregon Ducks in March. The 53-game Nittany Lion schedule features opponents from all four power conferences as well as a pair of defending 2025 conference champions in America East victor Binghamton and NEC titlist Saint Francis.
For the second year in a row, the Nittany Lions will open the regular season in Clearwater, Florida, at the Eddie C. Moore Complex for the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic. Penn State will kick off the 2026 season on Friday, February 6, with matchups against Missouri and Boston College at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. (ET), respectively. Action continues the following day with a Noon and 3 p.m. doubleheader against Eastern Kentucky and BYU, followed by a Sunday 10 a.m. matchup against an SEC program and 2025 regional participant, Auburn, to close out the opening weekend of action. PSU remains on the road the following weekend, Friday through Sunday, February 13 through 15, with five matchups scheduled at the Houston/HCU Invitational. Friday’s twin-bill features games against Incarnate Word and Houston at Cougar Softball Stadium at 2 and 7 p.m. (ET), followed by a doubleheader against Lafayette and Houston Christian on Saturday at 1 and 3:30 p.m. from Husky Field. Play concludes Sunday with a 1 p.m. (ET) matchup against in-state rival Pittsburgh back at Cougar Softball Stadium.
Another week of training in Happy Valley is followed by another Friday through Sunday weekend tournament, February 20 through 22, as the Nittany Lions travel to Orlando, Florida, for the SpaceU Classic hosted by UCF. PSU plays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. (ET) Friday against Charleston Southern and host UCF, followed by an 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. twin bill against Ohio and ACC-rival Notre Dame on Saturday. The tournament ends on Sunday at 9 a.m. for a getaway game and rematch against Charleston Southern from the UCF Softball Complex. Penn State wraps up its early-season non-conference road slate the weekend of Friday through Sunday, February 27 through March 1, as the Blue & White participate in the Tennessee Invitational hosted by the University of Tennessee. PSU plays at 12:30 and 5:30 p.m. (ET) on Friday against NC Central and host-Tennessee, followed by a Saturday doubleheader at 12:30 and 3 p.m. against Appalachian State and Tennessee once again. Sunday features a single getaway game at 10 a.m. with a rematch against NC Central from Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
Penn State rings in its 16th season of competition at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field the weekend of Thursday through Sunday, March 5 through 8, as the Blue & White welcome four programs to Happy Valley for a 12-game event. PSU’s matchups begin Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. (ET) against in-state foe Lehigh, followed by a single game Friday against Binghamton at 5 p.m. Saturday’s action features a 3 p.m. (ET) start against the Colgate Raiders, followed by a home doubleheader Sunday at 2:30 and 5 p.m. to close things out against Colgate and Niagara.
Spring break brings the Blue & White west to the state of Oregon for one final non-conference matchup before the start of the Big Ten Conference slate, with PSU facing off against the Oregon State Beavers on Wednesday, March 11, with an 8 p.m. (ET) start scheduled from Kelly Field. Penn State then turns its attention to B1G play with a weekend series beginning Friday and concluding Sunday, March 13 through 15, against the Oregon Ducks from Jane Sanders Stadium. The Nittany Lions return home for their B1G home opening series, Friday through Sunday, March 20 through 22, against the Wisconsin Badgers.
PSU sets out on a four-game road swing beginning with a three-game weekend series against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights from Piscataway, New Jersey, Friday through Sunday, March 27 through 29. The month of March ends with an in-state midweek rivalry matchup and rematch of an early-season meeting with the Pitt Panthers on Tuesday, March 31, beginning at 5:30 p.m. (ET) from Vartabedian Field in Pittsburgh. PSU opens a seven-game homestand with a weekend series against Maryland and Northwestern followed by a midweek clash with the Bucknell Bison. The series with the Terrapins is slated for April 3-5, followed by April 10-12 meetings with Northwestern. The homestand concludes with a 6 p.m. (ET) matchup on April 14 against Bucknell.
The Nittany Lions enter the home stretch of the 2026 season April 17 through 19 with a three-game series on the road against the Ohio State Buckeyes from Buckeye Field in Columbus. PSU returns home for a midweek game against Saint Francis on April 21 at 6 p.m. (ET), followed by another three-game road series from Eichelberger Field on April 24 through 26 against the Illinois Fighting Illini. The regular season wraps up the weekend of May 1 through 3 as PSU welcomes reigning Super Regional participant Nebraska to Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field.
The 2026 postseason opens with the Big Ten Softball Tournament at Maryland Softball Stadium on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park. First Round games begin on Wednesday, May 6, with quarterfinals, semifinals and the championship game following on consecutive days ending with the league final on Saturday, May 9. The NCAA Division I Softball Tournament selection show is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, May 10, with regional action to begin on the campus sites of the top 16 seeds the weekend of Friday through Sunday, May 15 through 17. The advancing teams from each regional head to Super Regional sites the weekend of May 22 through 24, with the nation’s eight remaining programs heading to the Women’s College World Series at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, beginning Thursday, May 28 with action to conclude at the latest on Friday, June 5.
To view the 2026 Penn State softball schedule online in its entirety, click the link here.
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The 2026 Penn State softball season is presented by Highmark.