The Pioneers face a challenging slate in their third season, with just five home games among their 13-game slate. Play begins on Saturday, February 6 at noon at Pioneer Field against two-time defending NCAA Division II national champion Limestone College, which is ranked first in the United State Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division II preseason poll.

Tusculum will play eight South Atlantic Conference matches for the second year in a row, after the Pioneers finished with a 2-6 mark in league play in 2015. Five of the Pioneers' eight conference contest were decided by two goals or fewer, with the Pioneers winning two of those matchups.

Following the season opener with Limestone, the Pioneers will travel to Florida to face off with another perennial NCAA Division II powerhouse in the University of Tampa on Sunday, Feb. 14. Last year, the Pioneers gave the Spartans a battle before falling by a 14-8 score. Tampa is ranked 10th in the USILA preseason poll.

After the Tampa game, the Pioneers are off for nearly two weeks before resuming action on Saturday, Feb. 27 at North Greenville. The Pioneers defeated the Crusaders 15-8 in their non-conference meeting last April 7.

Tusculum kicks off its 2016 SAC schedule with a visit to Brevard on Saturday, March 5. Last season, the Pioneers and Tornados battled to the final minutes before a goal with under four minutes left gave Brevard a 9-8 victory.

The Pioneers will hit the road for Spring Break, traveling all the way to North Canton, Ohio to play Walsh University on Tuesday, March 8 before turning around and making the trek to Franklin Springs, Georgia for a matchup with Emmanuel College on Saturday, March 12. Both the Cavaliers and the Lions finished with identical 3-10 records during the 2015 season.

Seven straight conference contests will wrap up the second half of the 2016 schedule, starting on Saturday, March 19 when the Pioneers play their first home game in exactly six weeks as Lenoir-Rhyne visits Pioneer Field. One week later, Tusculum goes to Catawba to take on an Indians squad that the Pioneers beat by a 7-6 score last season at home.

On Wednesday, March 30, the Pioneers welcome Lincoln Memorial to Greeneville for the first time. Tusculum defeated LMU 8-7 in double overtime on the road last season for their first-ever conference victory.

Tusculum takes on the 2015 SAC co-champions in their next two matches, with a trip to Queens on Saturday, April 2 followed by a home match with Coker on Saturday, April 9. The Pioneers played both teams extremely tough last season, losing 11-10 in overtime at Coker and falling 10-8 at home to Queens as the Royals rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit. Queens is the third preseason ranked team that the Pioneers will face this season, as the Royals checked in at 20th in the USILA survey.

The home schedule for the Pioneers wraps up on Wednesday, April 13 as reigning SAC Tournament champion Mars Hill comes to Pioneer Field. Tusculum then closes out the regular season on the road with a match at Wingate on Saturday, April 23.

The conference tournament will include the top six teams in the final standings, with quarterfinal action on Tuesday, April 26 at campus sites. The semifinals and finals will be played on Thursday, April 28 and Saturday, April 30 in Charlotte.