MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama softball head coach Becky Clark announced the 2022 schedule on Wednesday. The Jags will be road tested during the campaign as only 13 of the 48 games on the docket are scheduled to be played at Jaguar Field, with the first not coming until the middle of the second month of the season.

While the regular season is lite on home games, South Alabama will host the Sun Belt Conference Championship for the third time in program history, the first since hosting the league championship event since 2016 this spring. The Jaguars are coming off a campaign that saw them advance to the championship game of the SBC tournament last spring and made the program's fifth NCAA tournament appearance at the Gainesville Regional.

"As always we have put together another competitive schedule and this one will have the extra challenge of being road heavy," Clark said. "We normally are at home for many of our non-conference games, but this year I have us on the road playing some of the best teams in the nation. I think the challenge will be great for us and help prepare us as a team for an incredibly competitive conference regular season. We will finish conference play at home as we host the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. I am excited for the opportunity to host the tournament and give our fans the chance to watch some of the best softball in the nation being played at Jaguar Field."

South's regular-season schedule includes four road tournaments, three midweek contests and nine three-day Sun Belt weekend series. Game times and television assignments will be announced at a later date. More games may also be added at a later date.

Highlighting the schedule are nine programs (Florida State, Liberty, Louisiana, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas State, Troy) which made appearances in the 2021 Division I NCAA Softball Championship. Additionally, LSU, Missouri and FSU advanced to the Super Regionals, with the Seminoles reaching last season's Women's College World Series where they advanced to the championship series before falling to national champion Oklahoma in a best of three series.

South will open the regular season at the Tiger Classic (Feb. 11-12) in Baton Rouge, La., where it will take on Central Arkansas, Illinois and a pair of games against tourney host LSU during the two-day event. The Jags continue on the road with a midweek contest at Florida State (Feb. 16) before competing at THE Spring Games (Feb. 18-20) in Leesburg, Fla., where they will face Missouri and Ohio State on day one of the event and Butler and Liberty on day two. 

Of the Jags' first eight games, five are against 2021 NCAA tournament opponents.

South Alabama closes out the opening month of the season at the Snowman (Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament) hosted by Mississippi State, Feb. 25-27. The tournament is named in honor of Jaguar catcher Kassidy Wilcox's sister, Alex who was a player for the Bulldogs and passed away in 2018; "Snowman" was Alex's nickname. South will take on Belmont and Longwood on the opening day, and then face Longwood and MSU on the following day, before closing out tournament play against the host Bulldogs.

The second month of the spring sees South head north to compete at the Tennessee Invitational (March 4-6) where it will take on Dartmouth, Virginia and the Volunteers. All four teams in the Tennessee Invitational will face off with each other over the first two days in order to determine seeding for each teams' fourth game of the tournament.  The final two games of the Tennessee Invitational will be determined later in the tournament following seeding after each team's first three games.  The No. 1 seeded team will play the No. 4 seeded team, and conversely, the No. 2 seeded team will take on the No. 3 seeded team on Saturday.  On Sunday, the winners of Saturday's games will face each other with the losing teams set to face each other.  USA will open the tournament against Dartmouth and UVA on day one, and then take on the Volunteers on day two. The Jags last competed at the 2018 event.

After being away from Mobile for the first 22 games of the season, South will play its first game in Mobile on March 16 when it welcomes Nicholls State to Jaguar Field for just its second midweek game. USA will return the favor with a trip to Thibodeaux, La., to take on the Colonels the following month on April 20.

Like the 2019 season, the SBC reverts back to a three-day, three-game league series schedule this spring. The Jaguars will open the Sun Belt Conference schedule on the road on March 11-13 at UT Arlington. Other SBC road series for South include Georgia State (March 25-27), Appalachian State (April 8-10), ULM (April 22-24), Troy (May 5-7). The home portion of the conference slate features four series: Texas State (March 18-20), Coastal Carolina (April 1-3), Louisiana (April 14-16), Georgia Southern (April 29-May 1). 

Along with South, Louisiana, Texas State and Troy each earned a bid to the 2021 NCAA tournament. Last season, the Ragin' Cajuns won their 17th regular season conference title and their 16th tournament title.

Postseason play for South Alabama begins when it hosts the SBC Championship at Jaguar Field on May 10-14. NCAA Regional (May 20-22) and NCAA Super Regional (May 26-29) rounds will be held on campus sites, while the Women's College World Series will take place on June 2-10 once again at USA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla.

2021 SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
- Games: 48 – Home (13), Road (22), Neutral (13)
- Hosting the Sun Belt Conference Championship (May 10-14) for the third time overall and the first since 2016
- NCAA Regional participants (9): Florida State, Liberty, Louisiana, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas State, Troy
- Super Regional participants (3): Florida State, LSU, Missouri
- Women's College World Series participant: Florida State (Runner Up)
- Opponents who finished the 2020 season inside the Top 25: Florida State (2), Missouri (13), LSU (15), Louisiana (22), Liberty (25)
- Non-Conference Opponents: ACC, Atlantic Sun, Big East, Big South, Big Ten (2), Ivey League, Ohio Valley, SEC (4), Southland (2)
- Non-Conference tournaments: Tiger Classic (Feb. 11-12), THE Spring Games (Feb. 18-20), The Snowman – Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament (Feb. 25-27), Tennessee Invitational (March 4-6)
- Home SBC series: Texas State (March 18-20), Coastal Carolina (April 1-3), Louisiana (April 14-16), Georgia Southern (April 29-May 1) 
- Road SBC series: UTA (March 11-13), Georgia State (March 25-27), Appalachian State (April 8-10), ULM (April 22-24), Troy (May 5-7)

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.

—USA—