Bruins Open 2026 Season at Red and Black Showcase

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Belmont University softball team opens the 2026 season this weekend at the Red and Black Showcase, hosted by Georgia in Athens, Ga. The Bruins will take the field with a core group of returners and seven newcomers, looking to build on the momentum from the 2025 campaign.

Belmont begins the weekend against Missouri State on Friday, Feb. 4, at 9:30 a.m. CT, followed by matchups with Fordham and host Georgia.

What's Bruin 

• Belmont finished the 2025 season with a 41-16 overall record and a 20-7 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play, capturing the MVC Championship for the first time in program history.
• The Bruins were selected as the preseason favorite in the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll. Maya Johnson and Nicole Hughes were named to the Preseason All-MVC First Team, while Rylee Spindler, Maddy Balsiger and Brenna Blume earned honorable mention honors.
• Belmont earned national preseason recognition, ranking No. 12 in the D1 Softball mid-major preseason poll and No. 7 in Softball America's mid-major rankings.
• Maya Johnson has received multiple preseason accolades, including preseason second-team All-American honors from both D1 Softball and Softball America. She was also ranked No. 32 overall and No. 9 among pitchers by Softball America, No. 23 overall and No. 8 among pitchers by D1 Softball, and named the No. 1 preseason mid-major player by D1 Softball.
• The junior pitcher finished the 2025 season with a 24-6 record, tallying 366 strikeouts with a 1.52 ERA. Johnson recorded double-digit strikeouts in 24 games.
• Belmont returns five All-MVC honorees from last season: Maya Johnson (First Team, Pitcher of the Year), Rylee Spindler (First Team, Freshman of the Year), Nicole Hughes (Second Team), Maddy Balsiger (Second Team) and Brenna Blume (All-Defensive Team).
• Rylee Spindler made an immediate impact as a freshman infielder in 2025, batting .378 with 54 hits, 35 runs scored and 30 RBI while posting a .538 slugging percentage and adding five stolen bases.
• All five Bruin freshmen were named to Softball America's Preseason Freshman Watch List: Lizzie Ozim, Tallulah Eichholz, Lydia Vanderwoude, Ryan Breer and Anna Caskey.

• Belmont is 6-6 all-time against Missouri State. The teams last met in 2025, when the Bruins earned an 11-0 victory over the Bears.
• This weekend marks the first meeting between Belmont and Fordham.
• Belmont is 0-3 all-time against Georgia and will look to secure its first win over the Bulldogs in the programs' first matchup since 2019.

Follow Belmont softball on social media - @BelmontSoftball on Twitter, @belmontsoftball on Instagram and Belmont Bruins Softball on Facebook - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.