University of Massachusets Athletics
2011 Softball Schedule Announced
December 07, 2010 | Softball
Dec. 7, 2010
AMHERST, Mass. - UMass softball head coach Elaine Sortino has announced the 22-time Atlantic 10 Champion Minutewomen's 2011 schedule. UMass will begin the season with tournaments in Boca Raton, Fla.; Cathedral City, Calif.; Woodstock, Ga.; and Clearwater, Fla. before returning to the Northeast where it will host 18 games on 12 dates at the UMass Softball Complex, including 12 of the last 14 games, in the program's quest for a 17th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
UMass' 51-game regular season schedule in 2011 will be a challenging one that features many of the nation's elite programs from across the country. The Minutewomen will face 11 NCAA Tournament teams from 2010, including Women's College World Series team from last season and 2009 National Champion, Washington.
UMass will play six teams ranked in the top 25 in the final 2010 NFCA Coaches Poll: No. 5 Washington, No. 10 Michigan, No. 13 California, No. 17 Georgia Tech, No. 18 Texas, and No. 23 Oklahoma State. Fresno State and A-10 foe Fordham were both receiving votes in last season's final poll.
UMass will begin the season on Feb. 18-20 at the FAU Kickoff Classic at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla. The Minutewomen last competed in the event in 2009 and this season will face Penn State, Tulsa, Michigan, the host Owls, and a final day opponent to be determined by seeding after the first four games.
The Minutewomen will head west to the Cathedral City Classic in Cathedral City, Calif. on Feb. 25-27. The event always brings in some of the nation's top teams and this year UMass will take on California, Washington, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Fresno State.
For the first time, UMass will play in the Buzz Classic hosted by Georgia Tech in Woodstock, Ga. on March 4-6. UMass will take on Penn State, UAB, UNC-Greensboro, Kennesaw State, and the host Yellow Jackets.
UMass concludes its early season tournaments by making its annual trip to Clearwater, Fla. for the USF Under Armour Showcase. This season the Minutewomen will take on Toledo, the host Bulls, Colorado State, Green Bay, and St. John's.
UMass' "northern" schedule kicks off on March 18-19 with the Atlantic 10-opening series at Charlotte before heading to Philadelphia for another A-10 weekend at Temple and Saint Joseph's on March 25-27.
The home-opener at the UMass Softball Complex will be on March 30 when Dartmouth comes to Amherst for a doubleheader. That kicks off a five-game homestand with a doubleheader vs. Saint Louis (April 3) and a single game with Connecticut (April 5).
UMass then plays five out of its next seven on the road, with a home doubleheader against St. Bonaventure the lone home games, before returning to Amherst for a season-long 10-game homestand from April 22-May 4. The stretch includes doubleheaders with Syracuse, George Washington, and La Salle, and single games with Boston University and Boston College. The Minutewomen host A-10 runner-up Fordham for a two-game series on April 29-30.
After a road double-dip at Rhode Island, the Minutewomen close the regular season on May 8 at home against Quinnipiac on Senior Day at the UMass Softball Complex.
The 2011 Atlantic 10 Championship will be played on May 11-14 at Charlotte's D. L. Phillips Softball Complex.
