BOONE, N.C. – App State softball announced its 2020 spring schedule on Wednesday, Dec. 18. The 55-game slate features four tournaments and 22 games in Boone.
"This team has more athleticism and depth than we have had in the past few years so I am excited to see how that translates during the spring season," head coach
Shelly Hoerner said. "We return our pitching staff that was strong on the mound for us and some key infielders as well. I look forward to different players competing and stepping up in the preseason to fill some critical roles."
The 2020 season also marks the 20
th anniversary of softball at App State. You can find the full 2020 schedule
here.
The Mountaineers open their season in Charlotte, taking on Virginia on Feb. 8 at noon. App State will also face Charlotte that Saturday and then both teams again on Sunday.
The following weekend, App State will be in Orlando, Fla. playing in the D9 Citrus Blossom Tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports from Feb. 14-16. The Mountaineers play in their final two tournaments in Charleston, S.C. from Feb. 21-23 and Greensboro, N.C. from Feb. 28-March 1.
The Apps' home opener will be a midweek matchup on March 4 against ACC opponent Virginia Tech. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. at the Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium. Other midweek opponents include Southeastern Louisiana (March 11), Western Carolina (March 18), North Carolina Central (March 25), North Carolina A&T (April 1), East Tennessee State (April 7 and 14) and UNC Greensboro (April 22).
The Mountaineers open Sun Belt play on the road, taking on South Alabama from March 6-8. That will be the first of three conference series on the road for App State, who will also travel to Louisiana (March 13-15) and UTA (March 20-22).
App State will wrap up Sun Belt play in Boone, hosting the next six weekends. Georgia State makes the trip to Boone on March 27-29 to play a three-game series, followed by Louisiana Monroe (April 3-5).
The Mountaineers finish the regular season with Texas State (April 9-11), Troy (April 17-19), Georgia Southern (April 24-26) and Coastal Carolina (April 30-May 2). The series against the Chanticleers will serve as Senior Weekend.
The Sun Belt Conference Tournament will be held in Atlanta, Ga. from May 6-9. The Mountaineers look to follow up their first-ever appearance in the Sun Belt Tournament in 2019.
App State is coming off a historical 2019 season, notching a 31-25 record and tying the win total set by the 2013 team that won the regular-season Southern Conference title.
App State, which had not won more than two Sun Belt games in a season prior to Hoerner's arrival, posted 13 victories against league competition in 2019. The team earned its first Sun Belt Tournament berth as the No. 5 seed and its first postseason berth to the NISC. With a strong group of returners and seven newcomers, the Mountaineers look to continue building the program as they set their sights on the 2020 season.
