JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - East Tennessee State softball opens the home slate of the 2026 season with the ETSU Tournament, playing host to Bowling Green and Tennessee State for a weekend total of eight games in the tournament.  The Bucs will play six and host two neutral site contests.
 
GAME 1:
East Tennessee State (4-0, 0-0 SoCon) vs. Bowling Green (6-1, 0-0 MAC)
Feb. 20 | 1 p.m. ET | Betty Basler Field | Johnson City, Tenn.
Live Stats

GAME 2:
East Tennessee State (4-0, 0-0 SoCon) vs. Tennessee State (0-3, 0-0 OVC)
Feb. 20 | 4 p.m. ET | Betty Basler Field | Johnson City, Tenn.
Live Stats

GAME 3:
East Tennessee State (4-0, 0-0 SoCon) vs. Bowling Green (6-1, 0-0 MAC)
Feb. 21 | 1 p.m. ET | Betty Basler Field | Johnson City, Tenn.
Live Stats

GAME 4:
East Tennessee State (4-0, 0-0 SoCon) vs. Tennessee State (0-3, 0-0 OVC)
Feb. 21 | 3 p.m. ET | Betty Basler Field | Johnson City, Tenn.
Live Stats

GAME 5: 
East Tennessee State (4-0, 0-0 SoCon) vs. Bowling Green (6-1, 0-0 MAC)
Feb. 22 | 10:30 a.m. ET | Betty Basler Field | Johnson City, Tenn.
Live Stats 

GAME 6: 
East Tennessee State (4-0, 0-0 SoCon) vs. Tennessee State (0-3, 0-0 OVC)
Feb. 22 | 3 p.m. ET | Betty Basler Field | Johnson City, Tenn.
Live Stats 
   

• Tiare Rieger and Whitney Boone registered their second career home runs in the Soctsman Invitational while Hailey Porter clocked her first.
• The Bucs opened the season 4-0 at the Scotsman Invitational hosted by Presbyterian, going 2-0 versus Albany with wins over Presbyterian and Mercyhurst to collect the best start to season in program history.

• ETSU is slated for 52 contests in the regular season with 25 at home in Betty Basler Stadium and 27 on the road.
• The Bucs face foes from 10 conferences including the SoCon, Big South, NEC, AEC, OVC, SWAC, MAC, Patroit League, Sun Belt, and SEC across 22  opponents.
• ETSU was picked to finish eighth overall in the Southern Conference Preseason Poll.
• Cheryl Milligan enters the 2026 season at the helm of the program for the fourth season, returning assistant coaches Bill and Rick Wagner.  Milligan looks to improve on her 46-113 ETSU record and her 587-321-1 career record.
• The squad consists of seven freshmen, eight sophomores, nine juniors and five seniors with 22 returners and seven newcomers.  Of the notable returners are senior catcher Leinani Lutu, senior pitcher Barnes and junior infielder Tiare Rieger.