The Basics 
The Drake softball team is slated to begin its 2025 campaign, under second year head coach Lindsay Diehl, as it heads to Cedar Falls, Iowa for the Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic this weekend. The Bulldogs will play four games over two days, Feb. 8-9, and will take on the likes of Omaha, North Dakota, and Loyola Chicago.
  
Bulldogs by the Numbers 
The Bulldogs will look to build upon last season where they finished with an overall record of 23-26 and went 11-13 in conference play in Diehl's first season at the helm. This season, Drake was picked to finish seventh in the Preseason Missouri Valley Conference Poll. Drake received a total of 70 votes in the poll. Southern Illinois was tabbed as the preseason favorite.
 
The 2025 Bulldogs roster features 10 returners from the 2024 season and features 13 newcomers. Among the key returners for Drake are utility players Emma Dighton and Frankie Rita as well as pitchers Molly Hoekstra and Jayme Scheck.
 
Dighton led the Bulldogs in hitting last season with a batting average of .344, ranked second in homers with five, and third in RBI with 24. In the circle Dighton tallied 22 strikeouts and an ERA of 6.34. Hoekstra was the top arm for the Bulldogs a season ago leading the team in wins (13), ERA (3.02), and strikeouts (78).
 
Scouting the Competition
Drake opens its season taking on the Mavericks of Omaha, who the Bulldogs also faced in their season opener a year ago. The Mavericks were selected first in the 2025 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll and have had previous success at this event going 10-1 over the past two seasons. Omaha returns two of his top four offensive producers in senior shortstop Maggie O'Brien and senior infielder Sydney Thomason.
 
Last season, Omaha compiled an overall record of 43-15 and went 14-4 in Summit League games. The Mavericks won their second consecutive Summit League Tournament Championship and earned a birth to the NCAA Tournament. Omaha was placed in the Columbia Regional and won a pair of games before falling to Missouri in the regional championship.
 
In the all-time series against the Mavericks, Drake has the slight edge over Omaha leading 8-6. The two squads spilt their two meetings last season at UNI-Dome Classic and have gone 5-5 in their last 10 matchups. Drake and Omaha will only play once this season on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 11:30 a.m.
 
Drake's second game of the weekend will be against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Last season, the Hawks finished sixth in the Summit League standings with a 6-12 record. This season, North Dakota was tabbed to finish tied for sixth by the Summit League head coaches. Seniors Jackie Albrecht and Angie Dumlao were named North Dakota's "Pitcher to Watch" and "Player to Watch", respectively.
 
The Bulldogs and Fighting Hawks have a brief history against each other, but Drake leads the all-time series, 2-1. This weekend will mark the first time since 2012 the two sides will face off.
 
Drake and North Dakota will go up against each other two times this weekend. The first game will take place on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. The second matchup will occur on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 12:30 p.m.
 
Drake's final opponent of the weekend is the Ramblers of Loyola Chicago. Loyola capped last season with an overall record of 29-24 and went 16-10 in league play. For 2025, the Ramblers were tabbed No. 3 in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll.
 
Senior Peyton Pepkowski returns for her final campaign at Loyola after receiving the A-10 Pitcher of the Year award and an All-Conference First Team nod in 2024. Last season, she posted a 2.97 ERA on a 16-12 record, tallied seven shutouts and a save over 191 innings pitched, struck out 198 batters and held opponents to .198 at the plate.
 
The Bulldogs have fared well against their former MVC counterparts, leading the all-time series, 20-6. Drake and Loyola will take the diamond on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 10 a.m.
 
Up Next 
Drake will take a week off before returning to action at the Easton Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Feb. 21-23. The Bulldogs will play five games in three days while in Tuscaloosa taking on Southern Utah, Virginia Tech, and host institution Alabama.