Basketball
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams are looking to improve on below .500 records as the year turns over (4-11 and 5-7, respectively) and thankfully, both have great reason to be optimistic.
The women’s squad, fresh off two straight wins, currently have some serious momentum on their side. They’ll play two back-to-back games at home. Following what proved to be a brutal road trip over winter break, the Eagles will get a much needed break in the coming weeks, before again tackling a three-game road stretch into February. With about half the season left either way, they’ll have plenty of time to right the ship.
Men’s basketball is in a similar spot, looking forward to three straight games in the Luce. That’ll be a solid opportunity for the Eagles to shake off the rust, adjust to their first year in a new conference and find some rhythm going forward. Just like the women’s unit, they’ve got a lot of ball left to play and will need all the momentum they can get leading up to the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) tournament in late February.
Baseball
Eagles Baseball will kick off their season on Feb. 15 on the road at North Park University. After one more game out of town, they’ll return to Wilmore to enjoy nearly two straight weeks of home series to kick off the season.
Following a net positive 21-19 season last year, the team will look to build on that record and further distance themselves upward from the .500 mark. Given their 13-7 tally in their home park this past season, we could see a hot start right out of the gate if the team maintains that consistency.
Softball
The softball team finished 13-20 in the 2024 season (6-10 at home,) and will aim to get off on the right foot in the new year with four straight home games, starting against Kentucky State University on Feb. 21.
After that stretch, they’ll go on the road to Midway for a two-game series before returning home to face Manchester University to kick off the month of March. With a long season ahead and a clean slate, the Eagles have good reason to be optimistic about a turnaround this year.
Swimming
Currently sitting at a 1-3 record, the men’s swimming team would have to win out in order to bear a positive record on the year as a whole. Thankfully, two of their last three matches, before the Liberal Arts Conference Championship on Feb. 12, are at home. The team should benefit from that advantage in their journey to finish the season strong. They’ll start this crucial final stretch off against Midway University on Saturday, Jan. 25.
Women’s swimming sits in slightly better standing at a 2-2 record, set to face the same schedule, positives and negatives as the men’s team. If they manage to win out, the resulting 5-2 record would be an incredible way to close out what has already been a good season.
Tennis
Both tennis teams will play their first matches of the new year at Brescia University on Feb. 12. against the defending Bearcats. After that, their schedules begin to differ slightly.
The women’s team will face off against both Greenville University and Ohio Northern University on Feb. 15, followed by a lengthy break and then a visit to Belhaven University in Mississippi, on March 7. Their season will continue all the way through April and into May, culminating in the NCAA Championships beginning on May 8 and running through May 11.
Men’s tennis, who hold a current 1-0 record, will play three away matches in a row to start the season, before their schedule melds with the women’s once more in March and ultimately leads up to the NCAA Championships in May, right after the CCS Tournament, which takes place April 24-26.
Track and Field
Men’s and women’s track and field share the same schedule in the new year, with meets stretching from the end of January all the way through the end of May, with the year ending, as most others do, in tournament fashion, in the NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championship.
Last season, the women placed 18th of 25 teams, while the men finished just one spot ahead, in 17th.
As a relatively new wing of the Eagles’ athletic department, the track and field teams will work towards continuing to make a name for themselves in what is shaping up to be another exciting year for the program.
Photo courtesy of AU Athletics.
