Oct. 1, 2002
ATLANTA – Highlighted by at least 17 meetings with teams that reached last season’s NCAA Tournament, the challenging 2003 Georgia Tech softball schedule was announced Tuesday by ACC Coach of the Year Kate Madden.
In addition to in-season tournament play, the Jackets will face eight teams that qualified for the postseason a year ago. Four doubleheaders against this top-level competition are slated for Glenn Field: Princeton (March 16), Arkansas (March 18), Mississippi State (April 14) and Women’s College World Series participant Florida State (May 4).
Tech is also likely to face several NCAA teams during its tournament schedule. The Jackets open the season at the Gamecock Invitational (Feb. 8-9), where they are assured of at least one meeting with NCAA regional finalist South Carolina. Tech will also return to the National Invitational Softball Tournament (March 7-9), which will be held in Sunnyvale, Calif., and holds potential match-ups with national champion California and Arizona State, another world series participant.
Rounding out the tournament slate are trips to the University of Florida Invitational (Feb. 21-23), the Georgia State Invitational (March 1-2) and the annual Buzz Classic, which Tech hosts at Marietta’s Al Bishop Softball Complex, March 21-23.
The Jackets open ACC play with trips to Virginia (April 5) and Maryland (April 6) before hosting North Carolina (April 17) and the Seminoles (May 4).
The ACC Tournament is slated for May 9-11 at Florida State, while NCAA regionals will be played at campus sites from May 15-18. The 2003 Women’s College World Series will be held May 22-26 in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Returning 12 players from a year ago, Tech is coming off its most successful season to date. In addition to winning the ACC championship and advancing the NCAA regional final in Tallahassee, Fla., the Jackets also won a school-record 52 games.
Tech returns All-American shortstop Tara Knudsen, ACC Rookie of the Year Jessica Sallinger and All-ACC catcher Lindsay Wood.
The full schedule is as follows:
DATE OPPONENT TIME
GAMECOCK INVITATIONAL ! Feb. 8 vs. Boston College 9 a.m. Feb. 8 at South Carolina 3 p.m. Feb. 9 vs. UNC Greensboro 9 a.m. Feb. 9 TBA
Feb. 11 at Chattanooga (DH) 4 p.m. Feb. 16 GEORGIA SOUTHERN (DH) 1 p.m. Feb. 18 at Furman (DH) 2 p.m.
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA INVITATIONAL @ Feb. 21 vs. Illinois 11 a.m. Feb. 21 vs. Stetson 1:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at Florida 1:30 p.m. Feb. 22 TBA Feb. 23 TBA
Feb. 25 TROY STATE (DH) 2 p.m.
GEORGIA STATE INVITATIONAL # March 1 vs. Bradley 2:30 p.m. March 1 vs. Tennessee-Martin 4:45 p.m. March 2 at Georgia State 12:15 p.m. March 2 TBA
March 6 at St. Mary’s College (single game) 3 p.m.
NATIONAL INVITATIONAL SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT $ March 7 vs. Oregon 2 p.m. March 7 vs. Northern Illinois 6 p.m. March 8 TBA March 9 TBA
March 12 at Georgia State (DH) 4 p.m. March 16 PRINCETON (DH) 1 p.m. March 18 ARKANSAS (DH) 2 p.m.
DATE OPPONENT TIME BUZZ CLASSIC % March 21 vs. Maryland 2 p.m. March 21 vs. Lipscomb 5 p.m. March 22 vs. Troy State Noon March 22 vs. Radford 2 p.m. March 23 TBA
March 26 HARVARD (DH) 2 p.m. March 30 at Mercer (DH) 2 p.m. April 2 at Georgia (DH) TBA April 5 at Virginia (DH) * Noon April 6 at Maryland (DH) * Noon April 9 at Georgia Southern (DH) 3 p.m. April 14 MISSISSIPPI STATE (DH) 3 p.m. April 17 NORTH CAROLINA (DH) * 3 p.m. April 19 at Gardner-Webb (DH) 1 p.m. April 23 at Auburn (single game) 6 p.m. April 26 at Alabama (DH) TBA May 2 AUBURN (SINGLE GAME) 4 p.m. May 4 FLORIDA STATE (DH) * 1 p.m. May 9-11 ACC Tournament & TBA May 15-18 NCAA Regionals (Campus Sites) TBA May 22-26 Women’s College World Series ^ TBA
HOME GAMES IN BOLD CAPS. All home games held at Glenn Field. * – Atlantic Coast Conference Game; ! – Columbia, S.C.; @ – Gainesville, Fla.; # – Atlanta, Ga.; $ – Sunnyvale, Calif.; % – Marietta, Ga., Al Bishop Softball Complex; & – Tallahassee, Fla.; ^ – Oklahoma City, Okla.
