CANTON, Ohio - The Malone University softball team enters the 2026 season under the direction of Head Coach Jeff Hite in his fifth year. The Pioneers are coming off a 24-20 season where the team qualified for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Tournament for the second consecutive year. Home games will be played at the newly constructed Mason Softball Complex.
 
This season, Malone opens play on February 14-15 at King University in Bristol, Tennessee. The team will play one game against the host Tornadoes and West Liberty University. From there, Malone will travel to Salem University for a doubleheader on February 27. A new addition to the schedule is a trip to the Space Coast Spring Games in Cocoa Beach, Florida. That event takes place on March 8-12 and feature eight games against national competition.
 
Upon returning to the Buckeye State, the Pioneers will face Slippery Rock on March 18 for a final tune-up before conference play begins. Malone goes to the University of Findlay on March 20 before hosting Kentucky Wesleyan College on March 21.
 
The Pioneers take on D'Youville University and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania on back-to-back days in non-league play, March 23 and 24. The G-MAC opponents on the weekend of March 27-28 at home against Thomas More University and on the road at the defending champions, Tiffin University.
 
Ohio Christian University (March 31) and Point Park University (April 1) make up a pair of non-conference doubleheaders for the team before a single weekend at Ursuline on April 3. Malone will also play host to Wheeling University on April 8, Northwood University on April 10, Hillsdale College on April 11 and Salem University on April 13.
 
Just as the Pioneers were at home for four series in a row, they will travel for the next four: at West Virginia Wesleyan College (April 14), Ashland University (April 15), Walsh University (April 17) and Lake Erie College (April 18). The final non-conference game of the regular season is versus California University of Pennsylvania on April 21.
 
The final two homestands of the regular season will be on April 24 against Ohio Dominican University and April 25 against Cedarville University.