With the spring semester in full swing, the softball season is approaching quickly and the ‘Runners are looking forward to having a strong season. After going 21-32, 9-15 in conference, the team looks to improve off of last season.
The Roadrunners played seven games in the fall against Incarnate Word (twice), Galveston JUCO, Texas State, Texas A&M-Kingsville and Alvin Community College (twice).
UTSA will play 26 home games this season with two huge matchups against BIG 12 schools Baylor and Texas here on campus. Along with those two games, the Roadrunners will also participate in two of their own tournaments, which are the UTSA Softball Classic and the UTSA Softball Tournament.
The first game of the spring season will be played on Feb. 9 against Southern Illinois in the UTSA Softball Classic, followed by a double header on Feb. 10 against Abilene Christian and Seton Hall and then a game on Feb. 11 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to close out the tournament.
The ‘Runners will then keep the tournament action going the following week when they will compete in the UTSA Softball Tournament against Lamar, Kansas, Prairie View A&M and Missouri State. After their two-tournament home stand, the Roadrunners will head over to Houston to participate in the Houston Classic on Feb. 23-25.
The I-35 Rivalry will then be renewed for the first time this season on Feb. 28 when rival Texas State comes to San Antonio. The ‘Runners will then be back on the road, traveling to Lubbock for the Jeanne McHaney Memorial Classic. The Texas Longhorns will then visit UTSA on March 7.
Conference play will begin March 10, when the team travels to Florida to play a series with Florida International University (FIU), and will end their Florida trip with a double header on March 13 against Georgia Southern and Central Florida. Once they return home, they will take on Conference-USA rival North Texas in what will be the first home conference series for the ‘Runners.
UTSA will then start a five game road trip where they will meet up with Texas State for the second time of the season before traveling to El Paso to take on the UTEP Miners. The ‘Runners will then be back in San Antonio to face Marshall and University of the Incarnate Ward (UIW), which will wrap up the first half of conference play.
To start off the second half of conference play, the Roadrunners will travel to Louisiana to begin a three game series with LA Tech. Then they return home for a game with Houston Baptist followed by a three game series at home versus conference foe Southern Miss. UTSA will play their final non-conference game against UIW then hit the road one final time when they travel to Alabama to take on the UAB Blazers. They will close out the season when they return home to face Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in their final conference series of the year.
The Conference USA Tournament will be held in Charlotte, NC at the University of Charlotte and begin on May 9. It will include the top eight teams in the conference with the C-USA championship being played on May 12.
Last season, outfielder Celeste Loughman was second on the team in batting average, on base percentage, runs and hits. Look for her to make an impact this season for the Roadrunners. Sophomore Rylee Rodriguez also had a strong year last season, leading the team in overall slugging percentage and runs batted in.
With the season right around the corner and plenty of opportunities to catch them at home, make sure to come out and support your fellow Roadrunners with their first game on Feb. 9 against Southern Illinois here at home.
