Softball

Sun Belt Softball Begins 2026 Conference Slate

NEW ORLEANS – The league slate for the 2026 Sun Belt Conference softball season gets underway Friday, March 13 with four weekend series between teams listed in the top 100 of the latest NCAA RPI rankings.
 
All 18 Sun Belt games this weekend will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
  • MASHING MOUNTAINEERS: App State has established itself as one of the nation’s most prolific offenses so far in 2026, ranking No. 14 in runs per game (7.75), No. 21 in home runs (38), No. 25 in RBIs (164) and No. 37 in on-base percentage (.424). Individually, senior infielder Makayla McClain is ninth in home runs (12) and total bases (78), 10th in runs (37), 22nd in hits (38), 30th in slugging (.951) and 31st in stolen bases (12).
  • LONG BALL LEADERS: Five Sun Belt teams rank among the top 50 nationally in home runs this season, led by No. 11 Marshall (40), No. 21 App State (38), No. 29 Coastal Carolina and James Madison (34) and No. 47 Louisiana (29). Led by McClain’s 12 long balls, Coastal Carolina’s 2025 All-American Georgia Hood has 10 while Marshall’s Sydni Burko and Bella Gerlach each have nine to cap the top four home run hitters in the Sun Belt so far this season.
  • WINNING STREAKS: Marshall enters conference play riding a league-best eight-game winning streak where the Herd have outscored opponents 44-8 during that span. They have won 12 of their last 13 games dating back to Feb. 2 and travel to Georgia State for their first Sun Belt series, as the Panthers begin the weekend on a four-game winning streak. App State has won six in a row heading into a three-game set against reigning champion Coastal Carolina, as the Mountaineers have won all six of those contests by run-rule in five or six innings each time out.
  • RANKED WINS: Multiple Sun Belt teams earned wins over NFCA-ranked opponents during the first five weeks of the season. Texas State is the conference’s lone team with multiple ranked victories over No. 18 Clemson (Feb. 12) and No. 15 Texas A&M (March 6). Additionally, Coastal Carolina defeated No. 15 Arizona (Feb. 13), Georgia Southern topped No. 25 Clemson (Feb. 27) and Louisiana took down No. 13 Texas A&M (Feb. 27).
  • RPI RUNDOWN: The Sun Belt Conference has 10 teams ranked in the top 100 of the latest NCAA Division I RPI Rankings and had as many as 11 listed within that threshold as recently as March 10. The Sun Belt’s conference RPI currently ranks third nationally behind only the Southeastern and Big 12 Conferences and comprises the fourth-most top 100 teams among all non-autonomy conferences. Marshall leads the league at No. 36 nationally, followed by South Alabama (52), Coastal Carolina (59), Louisiana (64) and Texas State (67) in the top five.
     
SUN BELT SOFTBALL SERIES – WEEK 1
 
 Series   Friday  Saturday  Sunday 
 James Madison at Georgia Southern  5:00 p.m.  2:00 p.m.  11:00 a.m.
 Marshall at Georgia State  5:00 p.m.  2:00 p.m.  11:00 a.m.
 App State at Coastal Carolina  5:00 p.m.  1:00 p.m.  11:00 a.m.
 ULM at Texas State  6:00 p.m.  2:00 p.m.  12:00 p.m.
 Troy at South Alabama  6:00 p.m.  3:00 p.m.  1:00 p.m.
 Louisiana at Southern Miss  6:00 p.m.  2:00 p.m.  12:00 p.m.
 
All Times CT