ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies kick off the 2026 season with a weekend at the DePaul Dome Tournament.
Oakland opens the season with a five-game weekend slate, starting with a single game on Friday against Western Illinois (2/6), followed by a two-game Saturday against Western Illinois and host DePaul (2/7), before closing out the weekend against Drake and Valparaiso (2/8).
Oakland enters the season with plenty of excitement, led by a slew of former All-League talent. Outfielder
Brooklyn Plitz will most likely start at the top of the order as she looks to continue an active 20-game hitting streak dating back to last season. Senior outfielder Kam Troyer is coming off an All-League Second Team season, along with sophomore pitcher
Kenna Bommarito, who is aiming to follow up a sensational freshman campaign. Oakland will also see the return of a couple of key pieces that were missing in 2025, most notably
Maggie Murphy, who is poised to return to the diamond after missing the previous season.
FRIDAY, FEB. 6 vs. WESTERN ILLINOIS | 6:00 PM ET
The Golden Grizzlies and the Leathernecks will face off for the first time since 2017, kicking off the DePaul Dome Tournament. Oakland has just one all-time win in 16 meetings against Western Illinois and is looking to earn its first victory in the series since 2007.
Western Illinois finished the 2025 season with an 11-37 (7-20 OVC) record, sputtering down the stretch with six straight losses. The squad maintained a .301 batting average, with 65 doubles, 22 home runs, and a .788 OPS.
The Leathernecks return their top hitter from last season, as junior infielder Payton Brown comes back after starting all 48 games and batting .413 with 13 home runs and 38 RBI in 2025. Her performance earned her OVC Player of the Year honors.
SATURDAY, FEB. 7 vs. WESTERN ILLINOIS & DEPAUL | 4:00 PM ET & 6:30 PM ET
After a second showdown with Western Illinois, Oakland will take on host DePaul.
Competing in a stacked Big East Conference, DePaul struggled in 2025, finishing with a 16-32 overall record and a 3-21 mark in conference play.
The Blue Demons batted just .256 with a .724 OPS on the season, struggling to generate consistent offense at the plate.
DePaul's top returning hitter is junior Lydia Ettema, who batted .297 with 25 RBI in 2025. She also made several appearances in the circle, mirroring Oakland's
Kenna Bommarito and
Alyssa Balcom as threats both in the box and in the circle.
SUNDAY, FEB. 9 vs. DRAKE & VALPARAISO | 10:00 AM ET & 12:30 PM ET
To begin the final day of its opening tournament, Oakland faces Drake for the first time in program history.
The Bulldogs went 22-32 overall in 2025 with an 11-15 conference record, advancing to the second round of the MVC Tournament.
Sophomore Ava Curry is Drake's leading returning batter after hitting .370 with a .491 on-base percentage and a team-high 33 runs in 2025, earning MVC All-Second Team honors.
In the weekend finale, Oakland will take on Valparaiso. In 14 meetings, the Golden Grizzlies have won nine contests, including five of the last six. Their most recent matchup came in 2023, when Oakland earned a 9-7 victory.
The Beacons posted a 20-30 record (9-17 MVC) in 2025, falling in the opening round of the MVC Tournament to Bradley.
While Valparaiso struggled offensively with a .242 team batting average, the Beacons were strong in the circle, posting a 3.76 team ERA led by returning pitcher Azalya Lopez. Lopez paced the staff with a 2.89 ERA, 109 strikeouts, and 10 wins.
Oakland's start to the season is action-packed, featuring a challenging slate of games designed to test the Golden Grizzlies early in the year.
