FAYETTE, Mo. – Pat Reardon, who is in his 28th season at the helm of the Central Methodist softball program, officially announced the 2020 softball schedule on Thursday.

The Eagles return seven All-Conference players from a team that finished third in the Heart last season. Central will be looking to get back to the NAIA Softball National Championship for the 6th time in the past eight seasons.

This year's schedule opens on Valentine's Day with the Crusader Classic hosted by Evangel University in Springfield, Mo. The Eagles will then travel to Arkansas for the Central Baptist Mustang Meltdown tournament the following week. The challenging non-conference slate will conclude from March 6-8 at the always-tough Gulf Coast Invitational in Gulf Shores, Ala.

The conference slate features 34 Heart contests beginning on the road against Missouri Valley on March 18. Clarke will be the opponent for the Eagles' home-opener set to take place on March 21.

The regular season concludes with a match-up against Culver-Stockton on April 26 before the Heart Conference Tournament takes place from April 30-May 3.