Indiana University Athletics
IU Unveils 2017 Softball Schedule
11/16/2016 10:45:00 AM | Softball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana Softball announced its 2017 schedule on Wednesday, featuring 54 games, including 16 at Andy Mohr Field. The Hoosiers will play 24 games against 2016 NCAA Tournament teams and teams that finished in the top 50 in RPI, as well as 11 games against teams who ended the 2016 campaign ranked in the NFCA/USA Today Top 25.
The Hoosiers will play in six non-conference tournaments before opening Big Ten play and will see travels in 2017 take them to 11 different states.
"I'm really looking forward to this season's schedule," said head coach Michelle Gardner. "We will play in six tournaments to start the year and those will challenge us at every stop and help shape our team's identity. By facing some of the nation's best in non-conference, we can really test ourselves and prepare ourselves for Big Ten play."
For the fifth straight year, IU will open the season in the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The Hoosiers will face three NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago in Fresno State, Utah and Arizona State. IU opens the season on Feb. 10 with a pair of games against Fresno State and Creighton before rounding out the weekend with Utah, Arizona State and Cal Poly.
The following weekend will see Indiana visit Austin, Texas to play 2016 NCAA Tournament participants in Texas and South Carolina twice, as well as a meeting with Louisiana Tech.
The weekend of Feb. 24, IU will head to Birmingham, Ala. for a tournament hosted by Samford University and UAB. The Hoosiers will play a pair of games against UAB, as well as single meetings versus Iowa State, Murray State and 2016 NCAA Tournament participant Samford.
Indiana will then travel to California to play in the esteemed Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton. Every single IU opponent in the event finished the season in the top 40 of the RPI and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers open competition on March 3 against Washington, who finished ninth in RPI and made it to the Super Regional. Next, Indiana will again do battle with Fresno State and South Carolina before closing out the weekend against Long Beach State and California.
The final road tournament before opening home play sees Indiana head to Memphis on March 10. There, IU will play Western Illinois, Lipscomb, Oakland, Memphis and Buffalo.
Action at Andy Mohr Field opens up on March 18 in the annual Hoosier Classic. The two-day event will features a pair of games against both Bowling Green and UIC.
The final two non-conference games on the slate include a trip to Louisville on March 29 to face a Cardinals team coming off an NCAA bid, as well as an April 19 showdown versus Kentucky, who made it to the NCAA Tournament and finished the year ranked 13th in the Coaches Poll.
IU begins Big Ten competition with a home series against Rutgers March 24-26. Other home Big Ten series include a doubleheader against Purdue on April 12 and a three-game set with Maryland beginning on April 21 before closing out play at home with three games against Michigan State May 5-7.
The first road conference series for IU will be a visit to Penn State from March 31 to April 2. The following weekend will see the Hoosiers travel to Minnesota, who is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and a top 20 finish in both the RPI and Coaches Poll.
On April 14, IU heads to Columbus, Ohio for another showdown against an NCAA Tournament team in Ohio State. The final road conference series is at Michigan, who finished second in the Coaches Poll and advanced to the Women's College World Series for the third time in four years.
Michigan is also the site of the 2017 Big Ten Tournament, which will kick off on Thursday, May 11.
Indiana returns 14 letterwinners from a 2016 season that saw the highest overall win total (29) and Big Ten victory total (10) for the program since 2012 while also shutting out Wisconsin to earn their first win in the Big Ten Tournament since 2006.
"Our conference is one of the toughest to play in and we can't wait to get back on the field to compete," said Gardner. "This is a team that is getting better every day and is looking to build off last season's momentum."
The Hoosiers will play in six non-conference tournaments before opening Big Ten play and will see travels in 2017 take them to 11 different states.
"I'm really looking forward to this season's schedule," said head coach Michelle Gardner. "We will play in six tournaments to start the year and those will challenge us at every stop and help shape our team's identity. By facing some of the nation's best in non-conference, we can really test ourselves and prepare ourselves for Big Ten play."
For the fifth straight year, IU will open the season in the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The Hoosiers will face three NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago in Fresno State, Utah and Arizona State. IU opens the season on Feb. 10 with a pair of games against Fresno State and Creighton before rounding out the weekend with Utah, Arizona State and Cal Poly.
The following weekend will see Indiana visit Austin, Texas to play 2016 NCAA Tournament participants in Texas and South Carolina twice, as well as a meeting with Louisiana Tech.
The weekend of Feb. 24, IU will head to Birmingham, Ala. for a tournament hosted by Samford University and UAB. The Hoosiers will play a pair of games against UAB, as well as single meetings versus Iowa State, Murray State and 2016 NCAA Tournament participant Samford.
Indiana will then travel to California to play in the esteemed Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton. Every single IU opponent in the event finished the season in the top 40 of the RPI and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers open competition on March 3 against Washington, who finished ninth in RPI and made it to the Super Regional. Next, Indiana will again do battle with Fresno State and South Carolina before closing out the weekend against Long Beach State and California.
The final road tournament before opening home play sees Indiana head to Memphis on March 10. There, IU will play Western Illinois, Lipscomb, Oakland, Memphis and Buffalo.
Action at Andy Mohr Field opens up on March 18 in the annual Hoosier Classic. The two-day event will features a pair of games against both Bowling Green and UIC.
The final two non-conference games on the slate include a trip to Louisville on March 29 to face a Cardinals team coming off an NCAA bid, as well as an April 19 showdown versus Kentucky, who made it to the NCAA Tournament and finished the year ranked 13th in the Coaches Poll.
IU begins Big Ten competition with a home series against Rutgers March 24-26. Other home Big Ten series include a doubleheader against Purdue on April 12 and a three-game set with Maryland beginning on April 21 before closing out play at home with three games against Michigan State May 5-7.
The first road conference series for IU will be a visit to Penn State from March 31 to April 2. The following weekend will see the Hoosiers travel to Minnesota, who is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and a top 20 finish in both the RPI and Coaches Poll.
On April 14, IU heads to Columbus, Ohio for another showdown against an NCAA Tournament team in Ohio State. The final road conference series is at Michigan, who finished second in the Coaches Poll and advanced to the Women's College World Series for the third time in four years.
Michigan is also the site of the 2017 Big Ten Tournament, which will kick off on Thursday, May 11.
Indiana returns 14 letterwinners from a 2016 season that saw the highest overall win total (29) and Big Ten victory total (10) for the program since 2012 while also shutting out Wisconsin to earn their first win in the Big Ten Tournament since 2006.
"Our conference is one of the toughest to play in and we can't wait to get back on the field to compete," said Gardner. "This is a team that is getting better every day and is looking to build off last season's momentum."
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