JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Eastern Kentucky University softball program in conjunction with the Atlantic Sun Conference announced its 2025 conference schedule on Monday morning. 
 
The reigning ASUN Regular Season Champions will play 24 games against conference opponents next season split between eight series against its Northeast Division opponents in Austin Peay, Bellarmine, Central Arkansas, Lipscomb, and North Alabama.  To view the full conference schedule, click here.
 
The ASUN Conference moved to division scheduling over the Summer for baseball and softball that will take effect in the 2025 season.
 
EKU will play traditional home and away series against Bellarmine, Central Arkansas, and North Alabama.  The Colonels will face Lipscomb in a road only series and will face Austin Peay in a home only series.
 
The Colonels will open the ASUN slate from March 15-16 against Central Arkansas at Gertrude Hood Field.
 
EKU then hits the road from March 22-23 against Bellarmine and then return home to face North Alabama from March 29-30.  
 
The defending champs will begin April with two-straight road series at Central Arkansas (April 5-6) and Lipscomb (April 12-13).  Mid-April's series with the Bisons will be the lone road only series for the Colonels inside league play.
 
EKU will return from its long road trip to face long-time rival Austin Peay from April 18-19 at home and will look to sweep the Govs for the second-straight season.  Last season, the Colonels went 21-3 in ASUN play, sweeping 6-of-8 series with series wins in all eight.
 
To conclude April and begin May, the Colonels will travel to North Alabama (April 26-27) and end the regular season against Bellarmine at home (May 2-3) – which will feature Senior Day.
 
EKU will then shift its sights toward the ASUN Softball Tournament that runs from May 6-10.
 
EKU returns 16 players off its ASUN Regular Season Championship team last year, including ASUN Pitcher of the Year, Freshman of the Year, First Team All-ASUN, and ASUN All-Freshman selection Maddi Rutan and three other All-Conference picks in Jaelin Haynes, Kennedy Drafton, and Makayla Mathis.
 
The Colonels added five newcomers to the program consisting of one grab out of the transfer portal and four true freshmen from the prep ranks.  The 2025 season marks the 33rd at EKU for head softball coach Jane Worthington – the only head coach the program has ever known.
 
Worthington is a four-time conference coach of the year, including winning the award after guiding the Colonels to a historic 42-10 record in the 2024 season.  She will enter her 33rd season with 908 career wins, which is 19th among active softball head coaches in NCAA DI.