HICKORY, N.C. - Head coach Shena Hollar and the Lenoir-Rhyne softball have released their 2026 schedule that features 20 home games and 30 on the road. 

Lenoir-Rhyne begins their season on the road Lander on February 1st and will play four more games on the road before welcoming Belmont Abbey to Hickory on February 11th for the Bears' first home games of the year. Late February/early March is highlighted by six consecutive home games against Southern Wesleyan, California (PA), and UNC Pembroke. 

Conference play begins on March 14th with a trip to Salisbury to take on the Catawba Indians. Following that series Lenoir-Rhyne hits the road to Florence, South Carolina, to take on last year's Southeast Region top seed, the Francis Marion Patriots. The bears host their first SAC home series on March 21st with a double-header against Lincoln Memorial. April opens up with a trip to Wingate, a rematch of last year's SAC Championship. The final two home matchups of the year will be on April 14th vs. Mars Hill and April 18th vs. Newberry. A trip to Carson-Newman on April 25th is in store for Lenoir-Rhyne's final games of the regular season. 

The top four seeds will host the first round of the SAC Tournament on May 1st - 3rd. Those teams will advance to the campus site of the highest seed remaining on May 7th - 9th to face off for the SAC Championship. Lenoir-Rhyne has won back-to-back South Atlantic Conference Tournament titles, advancing to the national semi-finals in 2024.