Marshall University Athletics
@HerdSB Announces 2016 Schedule
11/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
2016 Schedule
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall softball team has released its 2016 schedule, with nine home series at Dot Hicks Field and matchups with seven teams that participated in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
The 23rd team in program history begins the season on the road for the first four weeks with early season tournaments. The Herd will open the season Feb. 12-14 at the Troy University Tournament in Troy, Ala. Marshall will face off against Evansville at 10:30 a.m. (ET) and then Alabama State at 3:30 p.m. (ET) for the first day of competition.
Following the opening weekend, the road journey will continue at the Florida Gulf Coast University Tournament from Feb. 19-21, the BAMA Bash at Alabama from Feb. 26-28 and at the Camel Stampede at Campbell University from March 4-6.
The BAMA Bash highlights the beginning of the season as Marshall will face tough competition in host team Alabama, Arizona and Tennessee. All three schools advanced to the 2015 Super Regionals with Alabama and Tennessee advancing to the Women's College World Series.
Head Coach Shonda Stanton is very pleased with the variety of competition to begin 2016. "Our first two tournaments will allow us to mix and evaluate various lineups. Once we hit the road to Alabama, we will experience a NCAA post-season environment with the caliber of opponents in Bama, Tennessee and Arizona. The Following weekend at Campbell will provide an opportunity to tune up prior to our Conference USA slate."
The Herd's first C-USA contest will also be the home opener as the UTEP Miners will come to Dot Hicks Field March 12-13. Other home conference matchups will be with Charlotte (April 9-10), Middle Tennessee State (April 23-24) and FIU (April 30-May 1). Marshall will hit the road against North Texas (March 19-20), UAB (April 2-3), FAU (April 16-17) and end the regular season at WKU (May 7-8).
"We will have notched 20 competitive road games prior to our C-USA home opener which will prepare us for a wide open race," Coach Stanton said. "Every weekend in conference will be a battle and our offensive production will be key to our success."
Other non-conference contests scheduled this season are home dates with old Mid-American Conference foes Toledo (March 15) and Ohio (April 25) as well as NCAA participant Kentucky (March 16), Radford (March 23) and Saint Francis (March 29).
"It is exciting to play at home with our fan base and we have a number of quality opponents that we welcome to Dot Hicks Field," Coach Stanton said. "We always have a competitive series with Ohio and look forward to playing Toledo having coached their head coach (Kristen Butler) when I was with the Akron Racers of the NPF. We look to draw a nice crowd when we host Kentucky, Coach (Chanda) Bell's alma mater. Our other home matches with St. Francis and Radford, both teams will be well coached."
The Conference USA Tournament in 2016 will be hosted by the University of North Texas May 12-14 in Denton, Texas.
There is a lot of excitement behind Marshall going into this season as it returns the majority of its starters from the 2015 season including four of six players named to the 2015 NFCA Mideast All-Region teams. In 2015, Marshall featured the nation's leader in stolen bases with junior Morgan Zerkle (Milton, W.Va.) and the first pitcher to reach 30 wins for the season with junior Jordan Dixon (Edmond, Okla.). The Herd has the reigning C-USA Freshman of the Year in Elicia D'Orazio (Clermont, Fla.). Marshall featured the top base stealers in the country averaging 3.06 per game and 153 total as well as the 11th best team batting average in the country at .345.
"We have an exciting ball club that has worked incredibly hard this fall semester," Coach Stanton said about her squad. "My coaching staff, our seniors, and our strength coaches have done a great job in leading this development. We are ready to put these athletes on the field in 2016. They are fun to watch play."
You follow along with any updates about the Marshall softball team on Twitter @HerdSB and on Facebook.
