When the 2026 College Softball Season Starts

From Division I down to JUCO, here is the date to circle on the calendar.

Oregon Athletics

It’s been a long offseason without college softball, but luckily for fans, the end is near. Between NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, and NJCAA, there's an endless amount of games to be watched, and the road to a championship title begins shortly. 

Here are the important Opening Day dates that you need to get down on your calendar. 

NCAA Division I- Thursday, Feb. 5

The 2025 NCAA DI softball season saw several historic moments, and 2026 is shaping up to be even more intense. The Texas Longhorns took down the Texas Tech Red Raiders in a state showdown, giving the program its first-ever national title. Viewership records for the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) were broken almost every night, and Game 3 of the championship series drew an average audience of 2.4 million people. That became the most-watched NCAA softball game ever on ESPN. 

Key matchups of the day include Ole Miss vs. Cal State Fullerton, Tennessee vs. BYU, Texas Tech vs. McNeese, and Oklahoma vs. Arizona State. More fierce competition will begin as soon as the following week, when major competitors take part in tournaments like the Marry Nutter Collegiate Classic and the  Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. 

NCAA Division II- Friday, Jan. 30

While colleges across Division II have staggered start dates, softball is being played as early as Friday, Jan. 30. The Lone Star DII College Classic will host schools like Colorado School of Mines, Texas A&M Kingsville, Missouri Southern, Emporia State, Missouri Western State, Minnesota State Moorhead, and UT Dallas. 

UT Tyler completed back-to-back national championship runs, topping Tampa in the championship series of the 2025 NCAA DII softball tournament, and will kick off 2026 against Saint Martin’s the same day. 

For schools located in not-so-warm climates, start dates are early to mid-February, such as Hillsdale College on Feb. 6 and Grand Valley State University on Feb. 19.

NCAA Division III- Friday, Feb. 13 

Division III sees similar staggered start dates as DII. 

Trine secured its second national title in three years with a victory over Virginia Wesleyan in the 2025 NCAA DIII softball championship, and will pick back up on Feb. 28 against John Jay. 

Pomona-Pitzer faces a conference foe, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, right away on Feb 13, while Meridth College begins play on Feb. 21. 

NAIA- Friday, Feb. 6

NAIA competition begins as early as Feb.6. 

Fresh off their fourth World Series championship in six years, the Southern Oregon Raiders will open up the NAIA season in a key matchup against Vanguard. Other important games to watch include Oklahoma City University, which will face Bethel College, and Eastern Oregon, which will face Central Washington University. 

NJCAA- Friday, Jan. 23

The warmer climate programs are gearing up to play in just one week. The Northwest Florida Raiders made history last season when they took down No.1 Florida Southwestern to capture their first-ever National Championship. They’ll open the season against Parkland College, while schools like Joliet Junior College and South Suburban College won’t see action until the end of February. 

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