BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State softball first-year head coach
Shelly Hoerner and staff have officially released the 2018 spring schedule. Their 56 games of the regular season include 30 games in North Carolina.
"I look forward to having a good mix in our 2018 schedule. It will be nice to play within our region most of the preseason. That will allow us to have some great family and alumni crowds," Hoerner said.
App State will throw the first pitch of the season against Mercer University on their campus in Macon, Ga., on Feb. 9 at 5 p.m. The Mercer Tournament includes opponents Central Michigan, the University of Buffalo, Morehead State and Mercer. Following the Mercer Tournament, the Mountaineers will travel to Montgomery, Ala., to the campus of Alabama State from Feb. 16-18.
The Mountaineers continue play at UNC Greensboro in a tournament Feb. 23-25 before heading to Norfolk State March 5-6. A midweek double header against Tennessee Tech on March 3 will be the home opener for the Mountaineers in Boone, N.C.
"I feel our preseason schedule will help us prepare for the Sun Belt. We know we will have to bring our 'A' game every weekend in this conference. The quality of softball in the Sun Belt is only continuing to get better. As a whole, the conference is competing with some of the top conferences in the country and that excites me as a new coach in the Sun Belt. We want to play top competition and compete day in and day out," Hoerner said.
Conference play will begin on March 10 against the UL Monroe Warhawks at Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium in Boone, N.C. The rest of the home conference schedule includes Texas State (March 24-25), Troy (April 7-8), Georgia State (April 14-15) and Coastal Carolina (May 4-5).
The Mountaineers will travel to Sun Belt Conference opponents Louisiana (March 17-18), UT Arlington (March 30-31), South Alabama (April 21-22) and Georgia Southern (April 28-29) this season.
As far as non-conference midweek competitions, the Mountaineers face in-state rivals Western Carolina (March 14), UNC Greensboro (March 21), NC Central (April 11) and Gardner-Webb (April 25).
App State will compete for its first-ever spot in the Sun Belt Conference tournament that will take place May 9-12 at Louisiana in Lafayette, La.
