MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas University Mulerider Softball team announced today their full 2026 schedule. The schedule includes six home series, a pair of non-conference double headers, which includes a two-game day against NCAA Division I St. Bonaventure in Magnolia. Southern Arkansas seeks even further improvement from its championship season a year ago, as Head Coach Jason Anderson enters year number 12 at the helm.
The Muleriders will open their season differently than in years past, as Southern Arkansas will begin play at the Lodestar D2 Classic in Mansfield, Texas for six games over the course of three days (Jan. 30 - Feb. 1). The Blue and Gold will open with a doubleheader on January 30th beginning against Metropolitan State University of Denver followed by Texas A&M-Kingsville. On day two of the opening weekend, the Muleriders will start up another double-header against one of the three groups SAU saw in last season's Magnolia Central Regional, Augustana University. Southern Arkansas will wrap January with an afternoon matchup against Lubbock Christian. To cap off the weekend, the Blue and Gold will play one final doubleheader with the Muleriders facing Emporia State in the morning of February 1st, and will then take on Drury University in the afternoon.
The following weekend, Southern Arkansas will head out to it second tournament of the season, with the Muleriders traveling to Bentonville, Arkansas for the Alvy Early Memorial Classic, which will take place over three days (Feb. 6 - 8). SAU will begin play in Bentonville with another doubleheader, with the group's first game going against St. Edward's University, and the second against Northwest Missouri State. On February 7th, Southern Arkansas will take on another doubleheader with games against Central Missouri and Texas Women's University. For the final day of action in North Arkansas, the Muleriders will play a single game against Missouri S&T.
The weekend prior to beginning conference action, Southern Arkansas will be partaking in the MIAA/GAC Crossover in Tahlequah, Oklahoma for another three days of competition (Feb. 13 - 15). The Muleriders will play against multiple Central Region competitors, which includes two doubleheaders and a single game to finish off the crossover. The first doubleheader of the crossover will feature battles against Rogers State and Missouri Southern, who SAU took in at the Central Regional last season. For day two, the second doubleheader will consist of matchups against Washburn and the Central Region's representative in last season's Women's College World Series, Central Oklahoma. To finish off the weekend, the Muleriders will go up against the crossover hosts in Northeastern State.
The Muleriders will then finally begin action in the Great American Conference, as SAU will head to Bethany, Oklahoma for the league series against the Crimson Storm of Southern Nazarene (Feb. 20-21). After coming back home to face Christian Brothers in a non-conference midweek doubleheader (Feb. 24) to open up the home action at Dawson Field inside the Dr. Margaret Downing Softball Complex, the Muleriders will get back on the road to Russellville, Arkansas, where the Blue and Gold will face the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns for that conference series (Feb. 27 - 28). To begin the month of March, Southern Arkansas will return back home for its midweek doubleheader against NCAA DI St. Bonaventure (Mar. 3) before beginning home conference play that weekend against in-state foe Ouachita Baptist (Mar. 6-7). After heading back on the road to Alva, Oklahoma, where the Muleriders will take on the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers in a conference series (Mar. 13 - 14), SAU will return home for its GAC series against Southwestern Oklahoma State (Mar. 20 - 21). The Muleriders will then take one more trip within the Natural State, as Southern Arkansas will head to Arkadelphia, Arkansas for the group's three-game series against Henderson State (Mar. 27 - 28). The Blue and Gold will then be on a two-weekend home stretch, in which Southern Arkansas will play a true home series against the Harding Lady Bisons (Apr. 2 - 3), and will be followed up the next weekend with the group's series against the East Central Tigers (Apr. 10 - 11). For the Muleriders final road trip of the regular season, SAU will head to Durant, Oklahoma for the unit's league series at Southeastern Oklahoma State (Apr. 17 - 18), and will cap off the regular season with with their final two home series against Arkansas-Monticello (Apr. 24 - 25) and Oklahoma Baptist (May 1 - 2). This season's three-game series against UAM, will mark the first three-game series against the Cotton Blossoms since the Gulf South Conference days, back to when the two played the series from April, 30 to May, 1, 2005.
For the full 2026 slate of games and times, visit muleriderathletics.com.
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