MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama softball team will host a pair of tournaments and face 11 opponents that reached the postseason a year ago in the schedule announced by head coach Becky Clark on Tuesday.
The Jaguars will face six NCAA tournament participants, including Minnesota which reached the College World Series. In addition to the Golden Gophers, South will also take on LSU (Super Regionals), Missouri, Illinois, Notre Dame and Louisiana. USA is also slated to take on five National Invitational Softball Championship teams – UTA (champion), McNeese State, Middle Tennessee, Stephen F. Austin and Appalachian State.
"We have put together a challenging and balanced schedule for 2020," Clark said. "We start off at the NFCA Leadoff Classic which is an invitation only tournament and will feature some of the nation's best teams. I love the idea of challenging ourselves right out of the gate and playing some great competition in a very visible venue. The two weekends after that will be back at home as we host the Jaguar Challenge and Mardi Gras Classic and then back down to Florida for another solid tournament before we go into conference play. Softball has always been one of the premier sports in the Sun Belt and I think last year showed that we are moving toward more parity, which is good for the entire conference. Our non-conference schedule should definitely prepare us for a challenging Sun Belt schedule."
As previously announced, South Alabama will open up the 2019 campaign with five games in three days at the 2020 NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic held at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Fla., during the opening weekend of play (Feb. 7-9). USA will faced Sun Belt member Texas State in a non-conference match-up and Missouri on day one, before taking on a pair of Big 10 programs – Minnesota and Illinois – on the next day and Notre Dame on the final day.
The meetings between Missouri and Notre Dame will mark the first time South has faced the two programs, while USA last faced Minnesota at the 2018 Diamond 9 Citrus I Classic in Kissimmee, Fla. The meeting with the Illini will mark third-straight season the two clubs have faced each other.
South then returns home for a midweek tilt against Southern (Feb. 11), which begins a streak in which the Jags play 10 of their next 11 at Jaguar field. USA will host the Jaguar Challenge on Feb. 14-16 with a pair of games against both Austin Peay and Evansville. After a road game at McNeese State (Feb. 18), the Jaguars will host the Mardi Gras Classic (Feb. 21). South will face Jacksonville, Memphis and Stephen F. Austin during the tournament.
USA then travels to Nichols State on Feb. 25 before making its second trip to the Sunshine State on the fourth weekend of the season to compete at The Spring Games (Feb. 28-March 1) in Madeira Beach, Fla. South will open up with games against Seton Hall and Middle Tennessee, followed by games against Iowa – its third Big 10 opponent of the spring – and Miami (Ohio). USA will then close out the event with a single game against another former Sun Belt member in Florida Atlantic.
Conference action gets underway during week five as South Alabama welcomes Appalachian State (March 6-8) for a three-game set. For the second straight year, the SBC will use a three-day series format for all league series. The Jags will also have Sun Belt home series this spring against Georgia State (March 13-15), ULM (March 27-29), UTA (April 17-19). South will also have midweek home games against Nicholls State (March 17) and Southern Mississippi (April 21). USA will close out the regular season with a two-game series against in-state rival Troy on May 1-2.
South Alabama will also have road non-conference games against LSU (March 10) and USM (March 24). The Tigers recorded 43 wins a year ago and finished ranked in the Top 10 of the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll for the fifth straight season and the sixth time in the last eight. South split the two meetings with the Golden Eagles a year ago with each team winning on the other's home field.
The road slate during conference play includes three-game series against Texas State (March 20-22), Louisiana (April 3-5), Georgia Southern (April 9-11) and Coastal Carolina (April 24-26). USA will also have a midweek contest against Troy on April 14 to complete the league series versus the Trojans. The Ragin' Cajuns won 52 games and made their 21st straight NCAA tournament appearance. UL has won 16 of the last 18 regular season SBC titles and 15 of the last 20 tournament titles after taking home both during the 2019 season.
"We have a lot of new faces on this year's roster and I think that this will be a team that continues to get better and stronger each time out," Clark said. "We threw a lot at them this fall and I saw them progress consistently throughout the fall season. I think we will pick up where we left off in January and as we head into February will see this group tested early. I think this will be a team that grows and gels as they compete together and settle in to their roles."
This year's Sun Belt Conference Championship is scheduled to be held at Robert E. Heck Softball Complex in Decatur, Ga., and hosted by Georgia State (May 6-9). South will be seeking its fourth league tournament title and first since 2015.
The NCAA tournament selection show will take place on Sunday, May 10 with the NCAA Division I Softball Championship set to begin the following weekend with 64 teams playing across 16 regional sites. The NCAA Regional (May 14-17) and NCAA Super Regional (May 21-24) rounds will be held on campus sites, while the eight Super Regional site winners will advance to the 2019 Women's College World Series which will take place on May 28-June 3 once again at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla.
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
- Total Games: 52 (Home: 26 / Road: 16 / Neutral: 10)
- Sun Belt Conference Games: 27 (Nine SBC Series)
- With the exception of the Troy series which is split home-and-home, the other eight conference series be a three-day format for the second year in a row.
- South Alabama will host a pair of home tournaments during weeks two and three of the season for the second straight year. USA has hosted two spring tournaments four of the last five seasons.
- The Jags will take on Texas State four times, but will meet the Bobcats in a non-conference match-up during the first weekend of the season.
- Conferences represented during non-conference play (12): Atlantic Coast (1), American Athletic (1), Atlantic Sun (1), Big East (1), Big 10 (3), Conference USA (3), Mid-American (1), Missouri Valley (1), Ohio Valley (1), Southeastern (2), Southland (3), Southwestern Athletic (1).
- 2019 Postseason participants (11): NCAA Tournament (6), National Invitational Softball Championship (5)
- NCAA Super Regional teams (1): LSU
- Minnesota advanced to the 2019 College World Series.
- Opponents which ended the 2019 season either ranked or receiving votes in the final USAToday/NFCA Top 25 (4): Minnesota (8), LSU (10), Louisiana (18), Missouri (RV)
- Opponents which ended the 2019 season either ranked or receiving votes in the final ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 (4): Minnesota (8), LSU (12), Louisiana (7, Missouri (RV)
- Opponents which ended the 2019 season either ranked in the Softball America Top 25 (3): Minnesota (8), LSU (10), Louisiana (17)
- From March 20 through April 14, South Alabama will play just three home games (ULM series on March 27-29) over a stretch of 11 games.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the Bullpen Club, the softball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. Members have access to purchase parking passes and receive Jaguar Softball gear. All donations to the Bullpen Club go directly to support the South Alabama softball program. For more information on how you can join visit: jaguarathleticfund.com/bullpenclub.
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