College of Charleston Softball Announces 50-game schedule that includes games against South Carolina and Notre Dame
12/2/2008 5:00:00 AM | Softball
2009 College of Charleston Softball Schedule
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? The College of Charleston softball program has announced a 50-game schedule for 2009 that features three regular season tournaments, contests against three 2008 NCAA Tournament teams and a 21-game home slate.
The Cougars' schedule consists of 50 games, 21 home and 29 away, beginning on February 7, 2009 and includes three in-season tournaments, one of which, the College of Charleston Classic, will be at the Patriots Point Complex in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Among the teams that CofC will face during the season are three schools that competed in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, including Canisius, Notre Dame and 2008 Southern Conference Champion Chattanooga.
THE NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
The Cougars will open the season by renewing their in-state rivalry with a home-and-home series with South Carolina from February 7-8. CofC will travel to Columbia for a pair of games on the seventh before returning to Patriots Point for their home opener against the Gamecocks the following day. That will kick off a six-game home stand that will feature the 2009 College of Charleston Cougar Classic February 13-15. Charleston will host Akron, Syracuse, East Tennessee State, Howard and a James Madison team that went 32-22 in 2008 and fell in the championship game of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament.
Following the tournament, the Cougars will hit the road for 12 straight games that will include trips to Spartanburg, S.C. for the USC Upstate Spartan Classic and Raleigh, N.C. for the N.C. State Wolfpack Challenge. In Spartanburg, CofC will face UMBC in a pair of games on February 21 and also tackle Presbyterian in a rare three-game day before facing a very strong USC Upstate squad on February 22. Last season, as a first-year member of the Atlantic Sun, the Spartans compiled an impressive 34-15 overall record and claimed a share of the A-Sun Regular Season Title. The Tournament will wrap up with seeded play later that same day.
The Cougars will then face some of their toughest competition on the season when they head to the N.C. State Wolfpack Classic. After opening with games against the University of Buffalo and St. Johns, Charleston will take on a pair of 2008 NCAA Tournament teams in Notre Dame and Canisius on February 28. The Irish compiled a 38-22-1 overall record and claimed a 9-1 victory in NCAA Regionals and have made the NCAA Tournament in each of the past ten seasons while the Golden Griffins went 39-14 and made their tenth overall NCAA appearance. CofC will take on St. Johns before facing an N.C. State squad that won 31 games a year ago.
After wrapping up the their longest road trip of the season with a single game against near by Coastal Carolina, the Cougars not only return home for the first time in nearly a month, they will also begin their 12th season of Southern Conference play. Interspersed with the conference schedule will be four games against cross-town rival Charleston Southern and another matchup with Coastal Carolina.
THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Charleston will host 2008 Southern Conference runner-up Georgia Southern and reigning conference Player of the Year Robyne Siliga in a three-game series from March 7-8 at Patriots Point. A year ago, the Eagles finished with a 37-30 overall record and finished behind Chattanooga in both the regular season and conference tournament.
The Cougars will then make their longest trip of the season as they head to Birmingham, Alabama to face the newest member of the Southern Conference, Samford, from March 14-15. After hosting a non-conference double-header with Charleston Southern on March 18, CofC will wrap up a five-game home stand with a three-game series against Western Carolina from March 28-29.
Charleston will then head to Boone, N.C. to face Appalachian State April 4-5 before traveling to Furman for a three-game set from April 10-11. The Cougars will then return for a four-game home stretch with a single game against Coastal Carolina on April 15 and a series vs. Elon from April 18-19. A double-header against Charleston Southern on April 22 kicks off a five-game road trip that culminates with three games at UNC Greensboro from April 25-26 before Charleston returns home to face two-time defending champion Chattanooga May 2-3.
THE 2009 SOUTHERN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
The College of Charleston will head to Chattanooga, Tenn. for the 2009 Southern Conference Tournament from May 6-9. The Tournament will feature all nine conference schools that sponsor softball with the eight and nine seeds meeting in a single-elimination game in the first contest.
The remainder of the tournament will then consist of double elimination with the champion being crowned on Saturday, May 9 and receiving the league's automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
The Cougars will be seeking their first Southern Conference Tournament Championship since 2005 when they compiled a 53-18 record and won a pair of games in the NCAA Tournament.
2009 SCHEDULE BY THE NUMBERS
Games: 50
Opponents: 24
Non-Conference Games: 26
Southern Conference Games: 24
Home Games: 21
Road Games: 29
Regular Season Tournaments: 3
Home Regular Season Tournaments: 1
