The Basics
The Drake softball team begins its 2026 season this weekend with a trip to Rosemont, Illinois for the Rosemont Dome Tournament hosted by DePaul. The Bulldogs will play five games between Feb.6-8 and face Detroit, Green Bay, Western Illinois, and Oakland.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
In head coach
Lindsay Diehl's second season the Bulldogs went 22-32 overall and 12-15 in conference play last year and will look to be in the mix for a Missouri Valley Conference title this year. Drake's roster this season features 13 returners and 10 newcomers. Sophomore
Ava Curry, coming off an impressive freshman campaign, garnered a preseason All-MVC honorable mention selection and will be an important fixture in the Bulldog lineup.
Other key returners for the Bulldogs in the field include junior
Frankie Rita, senior
Tatum Aragon, sophomore
Lili Gonzalez, and junior
Natalee Watts.
Jayme Scheck and
Peyton Driscoll will bolster the pitching staff along with transfers
Ashlynn Sheets and
Cassidy Gall.
Scouting the Competition
Drake's Opening Day will be a doubleheader against Detroit and Green Bay on Friday, Feb. 6 with game times at noon and 2:30 p.m. Drake first takes on Detroit, who was picked seventh in the Horizon League preseason poll and is led by All-Horizon League Second Team selection Jada Davis. The Titans went 10-33 in 2025.
Green Bay, another Horizon League member, was picked to finish third in the league following a 19-32 season in 2025. The Phoenix roster is highlighted by the reigning Horizon League Co-Player of the Year, Sara Ebner. Last season she finished the year with 66 hits, the second-most in a single season in Phoenix history.
Day two of the tournament will see the Bulldogs play in another doubleheader against Green Bay and Western Illinois. WIU went 11-37 last season and 7-20 in OVC play. The Leathernecks have a player to keep an eye on in Payton Brown, who earned Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year honors.
Drake concludes the tournament on Sunday with a single game against Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies, the third Horizon League member the Bulldogs will face, are coming off an 18-28 season, but went 9-14 in league play. Oakland has two All-League Second Team selections coming back in outfielder Kam Troyer and pitcher Kenna Bommarito, which will power its lineup and pitching staff.
Up Next
Drake next travels to Arizona for the Bear Down Fiesta hosted by the University of Arizona, Feb. 12-14. The Bulldogs will play five games against Arizona, Creighton, Coastal Carolina, and Utah Valley.
