Nevada Softball will start its 2026 season at the Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The event, hosted by LSU, features five games for Nevada over three days.
The team will open play on Friday, February 6, facing Illinois at 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time, followed by a game against LSU at 1 p.m. On Saturday, Nevada plays NC State at 10:30 a.m., then meets LSU again at 3:30 p.m. The tournament wraps up for Nevada on Sunday with an early morning game against Lamar.
This tournament provides Nevada with an early challenge against strong competition. Two of their opponents are from Power Five conferences, and LSU is nationally recognized in college softball.
Nevada enters the new season with increased expectations after placing three players on the Preseason All-Mountain West Team and adding former player Aaliyah Jenkins to the coaching staff as assistant coach. “Wolf Pack great Aaliyah Jenkins has been promoted to Assistant Coach, returning to the program after a historic playing career that included Mountain West Player of the Year, NFCA All‑Region First Team, and Nevada’s first softball All‑American honor since 2008. Jenkins graduated as the program’s all‑time leader in home runs (54), RBIs (196), total bases (447), and slugging percentage (.719). Her leadership now shifts to developing the next generation of Nevada talent.”
Pitcher Hailey McLean returns after being named Mountain West Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Last season she posted a 2.62 ERA with 17 wins and 149 strikeouts. Madison Clark and Haylee Engelbrecht were also selected for preseason honors following strong offensive performances last year.
Key returning players include McLean, Hannah DiGenova, Clark, Sage Alfaro, Matlyn Leetch, and Maya Larson from last season’s Mountain West championship squad. New transfers and freshmen have also joined the roster.
The preseason schedule is challenging; it includes eight teams that made last year’s NCAA Tournament such as UCLA and Oregon—both of which played in the Women’s College World Series. This year also marks Grand Canyon University joining the Mountain West Conference.
