SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury softball and head coach Brooke Gajewski released the 2026 schedule for the program's 19th season on Nov. 29.
 
The schedule begins with three early-season tournaments in Mansfield, Texas; Bentonville, Arkansas; and Topeka, Kansas. Across the full season, Drury will face nine teams that made the 2025 NCAA Division II National Tournament. The 52-game slate includes 20 home games at Thompson Field at Meador Park in Springfield.
 
"We are excited to kick off our upcoming season." commented coach Gajewski, "The GLVC tends to be one of the tougher conferences and our preseason is going to get us ready for that. We are definitely set up for another deep postseason run!"

The 2026 campaign will open in Texas for the Lone Star Classic, where the Panthers will battle Northwest Missouri State and Missouri Western on Jan. 30. Over the following two days, Drury will take on East Central and Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 31 and conclude the event with Harding and Southern Arkansas on Feb. 1.
 
After the trip to Texas, Drury will travel to Bentonville, Ark., for the Alvy Early Memorial Classic hosted by Arkansas–Monticello. While in Bentonville, the Panthers will face Central Missouri and Missouri Southern (Feb. 6) before closing the weekend with St. Edward's and host Arkansas–Monticello (Feb. 7).
 
The final in-season tournament will be hosted by Washburn. Drury will face four MIAA opponents in the event, starting with Fort Hays State and Washburn on Feb. 21 and finishing with Emporia State and Northwest Missouri State on Feb. 22.
 
Drury will open play at Thompson Field at Meador Park on March 10 against Augustana. The Panthers and Vikings met last season in Springfield, resulting in a split. Drury's win marked the program's second-ever victory over a top-ten opponent, as Augustana was ranked eighth at the time.
 
The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) regular-season champions will begin their title defense on March 14 against Missouri S&T in Springfield, followed by a trip to Jefferson City to face Lincoln on March 15.
 
Central Oklahoma (March 7), Pittsburg State (April 7), and Rogers State (April 29), along with Augustana, will all be Drury's midweek non-conference doubleheaders. All four of those teams reached the national tournament last season, including Central Oklahoma, which advanced to the national quarterfinals.
 
Other notable GLVC matchups include when Indianapolis travels to Springfield on March 29. The Greyhounds were the league's tournament champions and reached the Super Regional in 2025. The Panthers will also travel to face Lewis on April 11. Last season, the Flyers reached the regional tournament.
 
The GLVC Tournament will be held in East Peoria, Ill., from May 5–9 for the 22nd consecutive season. The top eight teams in the GLVC regular-season standings will advance to the double-elimination tournament.
 
Chattanooga, Tenn., will once again host the NCAA Division II Softball World Series from May 27–June 3.
 
Drury returns two GLVC All-Tournament selections from last season — Gabrielle Bax and Jordyn Foley. Bax hit .284 with a .670 OPS as the Panthers' everyday third baseman, while Foley posted a 10-9 record in the circle with a 3.10 ERA and seven complete games. Other key returners from Drury's regular-season championship team include Landry Cochran, Reece Anderson, Kaley Adzick, and Natalie Wilks.
 
Drury finished last season with a 35-23 record and four ranked wins, reaching the Midwest Regional Final for the first time in program history.
 
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