DURHAM, N.C. – Eighteen home games and four tournaments against national competition highlight the 2026 North Carolina Central softball schedule.

The Eagles begin the season with three consecutive tournaments starting next weekend (Feb. 6-8) at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla., which officially kicks off the Division I softball season. They play Pittsburgh and Rutgers on Feb. 6 before taking on Notre Dame and Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 7. Their last opponent is South Alabama on Feb. 8.

NCCU remains on the road for the HBCU Invitational in Covington, Ga., from Feb. 12-15, before heading closer to home in the Tar Heel Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C., hosted by North Carolina. The Eagles will play five games beginning with North Carolina in a doubleheader on Feb. 19. They also will face Princeton (Feb. 20), Rider (Feb. 21) and Appalachian State (Feb. 22).

After spending most of February on the road, the Eagles will make their home debut against Longwood in a doubleheader on Feb. 24 at Thomas Brooks Park in Cary, N.C., their home site.

Then the Eagles will travel to Knoxville, Tenn. - their third state in a month - for the Tennessee Invitational. They will play Appalachian State and Penn State on Feb. 27, Appalachian State and host Tennessee on Feb. 28, and Penn State on March 1.

The Eagles return home for a non-conference doubleheader against Gardner-Webb on March 3 before traveling to Greensboro, N.C., for two games against archrival North Carolina A&T on March 11.

The MEAC season opens with a three-game home series against Coppin State on March 14-15. The Eagles will take a brief break from league play against Appalachian State on March 18 in the fourth meeting between both teams. The single game matchup is the first of seven contests on the road for the Eagles, who will play Morgan State (March 21-22) and Norfolk State (March 28-29) in a pair of MEAC three-game series.

The Eagles return home for six straight MEAC games. They host Howard for a three-game series on April 3-4 and Delaware State for a three-game series on April 11-12. The Eagles hit the road for the final time at Maryland Eastern Shore for a three-game conference series on April 18-19.

NCCU closes out the regular season with five consecutive home games. The Eagles host Western Carolina in their final non-conference doubleheader on April 21 and South Carolina State in a three-game MEAC series on April 25-26.

The Eagles will vie for the conference crown along with seven other teams at the MEAC Championship tournament in Norfolk, Va., on May 6-9.

Game times are on the schedule page of the NCCU athletic website.

For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.