DOVER, Del. – Coming off a 21-23 (14-4 MEAC) mark in 2015, which included its second consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) North regular season title, the Delaware State softball team announced its schedule for the upcoming 2016 season Thursday afternoon, headlined by playing its first 19 games away from home.
To begin the season, the Columbia Blue & Red will play five games in the UNC Wilmington Invitational (Feb. 19 – 21). Along with facing UNCW twice, DSU will take on Rhode Island in a pair of games, in addition to a single-game matchup against Lafayette.
The following weekend, Delaware State will head to Charleston, S.C. for a cluster of games as part of the Charleston Southern Tournament (Feb. 26 – 28). After opening the festivities against MEAC foe Savannah State, DSU will again face the Buccaneers twice, followed by two games against UT Arlington.
March will feature the Hornets returning to their home s soil to face in-state foe UD (twice) and Bucknell (twice) in the Blue Hen Blast (March 4 – 6). Delaware State will then head back to the Tar Heel State, this time for a five-game stretch within the NC State Challenge (March 11 -13) against the Wolfpack, Northern Illinois and Loyola (Ill.).
After opening conference play with a three-game series at UMES (March 19 – 20), DSU will play nine of its next 11 games at home, beginning with Norfolk State (March 25 – 26). The Hornets will continue conference action at home against Coppin State (April 2 – 3), followed by a two-game series at Delaware (April 6). To wrap up their home stretch, the Hornets will take on Hampton (April 9 – 10), who ended DSU’s 2015 campaign with a 7-4 comeback victory in the MEAC Tournament. DSU was also swept by the Pirates during the regular season.
Next on the slate for the Hornets will be back-to-back three-game road series against conference opponents Morgan State (April 16 – 17) and Howard (April 23 – 24), whereas DSU’s regular season will conclude with back-to-back doubleheaders at home against Drexel (April 26) and La Salle (May 3).
As for the MEAC Tournament (May 12 – 14), it will take place in Ormond Beach, Fla., hosted by the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.