Southern Miss Softball Releases 2017 Season
12/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- A 54-game schedule, which includes 25 home games as well as 11 contests against seven different teams that reached NCAA Tournament play a season ago, along with playing host to the Conference USA Tournament in May, highlights the 2017 Southern Miss softball schedule released by coach Wendy Hogue Wednesday afternoon.
"This year's schedule consists of a rigorous nonconference slate and 30 games versus top 100 RPI teams", said Hogue. "The goal is to prepare ourselves for the demanding C-USA schedule and our quest to finish atop the C-USA standings."
While the Golden Eagles take to the road for a total of 29 games, two will be in the state of Mississippi, six in Louisiana and 11 in Alabama. At the conclusion on the regular season, Southern Miss then entertains the league for the 2017 C-USA Championship, at the Softball Complex.
"While making the schedule, the fans were definitely a top priority, as the majority of our non-conference and midweek games are within driving distance," said Hogue.
Southern Miss begins the 2017 campaign on the road at McNeese State (Feb. 9). McNeese is coming off a 2016 season that saw its first conference tournament title since 2010 along with an NCAA Regional appearance in Baton Rouge.
The Golden Eagles will then head to compete in the Louisiana-Lafayette Invitational. The Black and Gold square off against Ball State (Feb. 10) and Iowa State (Feb. 11) to begin the tournament, before concluding with a doubleheader against nationally ranked and 2016 NCAA Regional participant Louisiana-Lafayette (Feb. 12).
Southern Miss will then host the Black & Gold Invitational the following weekend at the Softball Complex to open up the 2017 home campaign. After opening the tournament with a contest against Nicholls State (Feb. 17), the Golden Eagles take on NCAA Regional team Jacksonville State (Feb. 18). On the final day of the tournament, Southern Miss again takes on Nicholls State before facing Mississippi Valley State (Feb. 20).
The softball team takes on Stephen F Austin in a mid-week doubleheader (Feb. 22) before hitting the road to Jacksonville, Ala., to face Jacksonville State again, this time in a three-game weekend series on February 25-26.
On Tuesday, February 28, the Golden Eagles return home to host nationally ranked and Women's College World Series participant LSU. Just two days later,the softball team plays in a doubleheader at the Softball Complex against Alcorn State (Mar. 2).
Seven of the next eight games are on the road and includes contests at Southeastern Louisiana (Mar. 7) before returning home to face North Carolina A&T.The trip ends as the squad opens Conference USA play with a three-game series at UAB (March 11-12), before playing Alabama State in a single game (Mar. 14) and concluding the swing with a doubleheader at Troy (Mar. 15).
Southern Miss opens up home C-USA play with a series against Louisiana Tech (Mar. 18-19), before hosting South Alabama, Wednesday, March 22, at the Softball Complex.
The Golden Eagles then travel to El Paso for a series with league foe UTEP (Mar. 25-26). Following the series with UTEP, the team heads to Jackson, Miss.,for a mid-week matchup with Jackson State (Mar. 29).
After the Jackson State trip, Southern Miss returns home for the next four games, beginning with a C-USA series with Marshall (Apr. 1-2). The Golden Eagles then play host to a single game with Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday, April 4.
The Golden Eagles travel to Mobile, Ala. for a non-conference game with South Alabama (April 5) and then to North Texas for a league series on April 8-9, before heading back home four games coming against Jackson State (Apr. 12) and concluding with a C-USA series with UTSA on Apr. 14-15.
Southern Miss next travels to Tuscaloosa to take on national ranked and Women's College World Series participant Alabama in a mid-week contest on Wednesday, April 19.
Following the game against Alabama the team heads to Bowling Green, Ky., to take on WKU in a C-USA series on April 22-23. The Golden Eagle return home to play host to Charlotte in the final regular season conference series.
The final game of the regular season is on the road against NCAA Regional participant Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. On Wednesday, May 3.
The Golden Eagles are hosting the Conference USA Championship this season at the Softball Complex.