Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Announces 2026 Softball Schedule
1/9/2026 3:49:00 PM | Softball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern Softball announced its complete 2026 softball schedule on Friday.
The Wildcats' 2026 slate includes a total of 51 regular season contests, five non-conference tournaments around the country and 24 Big Ten contests.
Northwestern will play its 12 home games this season at The Ballpark at Rosemont, which currently serves as one of the homes of the professional Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) as the program's on-campus home undergoes a transformative rebuild scheduled to be completed by summer of 2026.
The Wildcats will face off against 11 different opponents that qualified for last season's NCAA Tournament, including six teams that finished the season in the Top 25 and two opponents that qualified for the 2025 Women's College World Series (Texas Tech and Oregon). Over their first five weekends of action, 16 of the Wildcats' first 23 games will come against 2025 NCAA Tournament teams.
Entering their 25th season at the helm of Northwestern Softball, Kate Drohan and Caryl Drohan return a talented group this season, headlined by the return of the Wildcats' top eight hitters from last year's lineup. Last season, Northwestern earned its seventh consecutive tournament appearance and its 10th tournament entry in the last 11 seasons.
The Wildcats open the season with five games at the Kajikawa Classic hosted by Arizona State from Feb. 6-8. Following that, the 'Cats head to the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational for the fourth time in seven seasons–headlined by marquee matchups against 2025 national runner-up Texas Tech and NCAA Tournament No. 1 overall seed Texas A&M.
Northwestern closes out non-conference play with back-to-back weekend trips to Fayetteville, Arkansas (Feb. 20-22) and Durham, North Carolina (Feb. 26-28) before wrapping up with four games at Northern Kentucky (March 13-14).
Northwestern opens conference play on the road in Seattle for a three-game series at Washington from March 6-8, marking its first trip to Husky Softball Stadium since March, 2018. The 'Cats will stay on the road for their next Big Ten series, heading downstate for a three-game series at Illinois (March 20-22).
The Wildcats open their schedule at The Ballpark at Rosemont with six consecutive home games, facing the 2025 Big Ten regular season champion Oregon (March 26-28) before welcoming the 2025 Big Ten Tournament champion Michigan the following weekend (April 3-5).
Northwestern rounds out its home slate at The Ballpark at Rosemont with three-game series against Michigan State (April 17-19) and Minnesota (May 1-3). The 2026 Big Ten Tournament will be held from May 6-9 in College Park, Maryland.
Tickets for Northwestern's 2026 home games will be available for purchase on a single-game basis, with tickets going on sale on NUSports.com in the coming weeks. Ticket information for the Wildcats' early season non-conference tournaments can be found below.
Kajikawa Classic: Tempe, Arizona (Feb. 6-8)
Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational: Clearwater, Florida (Feb. 12-15)
The Wildcats' 2026 slate includes a total of 51 regular season contests, five non-conference tournaments around the country and 24 Big Ten contests.
It's Here. Our 2026 Schedule ????? pic.twitter.com/pLlhLuhVGu
— Northwestern Softball (@NUSBcats) January 9, 2026
Northwestern will play its 12 home games this season at The Ballpark at Rosemont, which currently serves as one of the homes of the professional Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) as the program's on-campus home undergoes a transformative rebuild scheduled to be completed by summer of 2026.
The Wildcats will face off against 11 different opponents that qualified for last season's NCAA Tournament, including six teams that finished the season in the Top 25 and two opponents that qualified for the 2025 Women's College World Series (Texas Tech and Oregon). Over their first five weekends of action, 16 of the Wildcats' first 23 games will come against 2025 NCAA Tournament teams.
Entering their 25th season at the helm of Northwestern Softball, Kate Drohan and Caryl Drohan return a talented group this season, headlined by the return of the Wildcats' top eight hitters from last year's lineup. Last season, Northwestern earned its seventh consecutive tournament appearance and its 10th tournament entry in the last 11 seasons.
The Wildcats open the season with five games at the Kajikawa Classic hosted by Arizona State from Feb. 6-8. Following that, the 'Cats head to the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational for the fourth time in seven seasons–headlined by marquee matchups against 2025 national runner-up Texas Tech and NCAA Tournament No. 1 overall seed Texas A&M.
Northwestern closes out non-conference play with back-to-back weekend trips to Fayetteville, Arkansas (Feb. 20-22) and Durham, North Carolina (Feb. 26-28) before wrapping up with four games at Northern Kentucky (March 13-14).
Northwestern opens conference play on the road in Seattle for a three-game series at Washington from March 6-8, marking its first trip to Husky Softball Stadium since March, 2018. The 'Cats will stay on the road for their next Big Ten series, heading downstate for a three-game series at Illinois (March 20-22).
The Wildcats open their schedule at The Ballpark at Rosemont with six consecutive home games, facing the 2025 Big Ten regular season champion Oregon (March 26-28) before welcoming the 2025 Big Ten Tournament champion Michigan the following weekend (April 3-5).
Northwestern rounds out its home slate at The Ballpark at Rosemont with three-game series against Michigan State (April 17-19) and Minnesota (May 1-3). The 2026 Big Ten Tournament will be held from May 6-9 in College Park, Maryland.
Tickets for Northwestern's 2026 home games will be available for purchase on a single-game basis, with tickets going on sale on NUSports.com in the coming weeks. Ticket information for the Wildcats' early season non-conference tournaments can be found below.
Kajikawa Classic: Tempe, Arizona (Feb. 6-8)
Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational: Clearwater, Florida (Feb. 12-15)
Softball - Lauren Boyd Tosses Complete Game Shutout, 'Cats Blank Kentucky in NCAA Regional (5/16/25)
Friday, May 16
Softball - 'Cats Storm Back, Secure Series Victory at No. 8 UCLA (5/4/25)
Sunday, May 04
Softball - 'Cats Earn 8-0 Run-Rule Win at No. 8 UCLA (5/2/25)
Saturday, May 03
Softball - Kaylie Avvisato Hits Walk-Off Home Run, 'Cats Take Series vs. Wisconsin (4/27/25)
Sunday, April 27
