University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Announce 2011 Softball Schedule
November 16, 2010 | Softball
Nov. 16, 2010
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - In the midst of a school record nine consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, North Carolina head softball coach Donna J. Papa announced the 2011 UNC Softball schedule Tuesday. The 2011 slate features 18 home games at Anderson Stadium and three 2010 Women's College World Series participants. UNC opens their spring season Feb. 11 against Kansas in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Tar Heels will play in four tournaments at the beginning of the 2011 campaign. UNC opens play Feb. 11 at the Jacksonville University Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. Carolina will challenge Kansas, Buffalo, Beuthune Cookman and host Jacksonville. The Tar Heels will follow that tournament weekend with a return trip to the Sunshine State to take on 2010 WCWS runner-up Florida in Gainesville, Fla.
UNC will host the Carolina Classic at Anderson Stadium from Feb. 25-27. The Classic field will be comprised of Georgetown, NC State, FIU, Penn State and St. Josephs. The final two tournaments the Tar Heels will travel to include the ESPN RISE Tournament in Orlando, Fla. from March 4-6 and the 2011 Easton Challenge in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Both tournaments will features national championship contenders and 2010 WCWS participants Missouri and Alabama.
The ESPN RISE Tournament is comprised of 19 different teams including five ACC schools. Other schools included are Fordham, Long Island, Washington, Alabama, Missouri, Oregon, Texas, Notre Dame, Hofstra, New Mexico, Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Michigan and Longwood. The schedule for the ESPN RISE tournament is yet to be determined.
"I am excited about our 2011 schedule. It is very challenging on a national level as well as within the ACC Conference. We will be playing some of the perennial national powers in Florida and Alabama both in tournaments and three game series," exclaimed head coach Donna J. Papa.
"We are also going to a new tournament ESPN RISE in Florida that will give us the opportunity to play some College World Series caliber teams such as Missouri, Washington and Texas. I want our team to be tested throughout the season so that we can continue to build a program that is a constant in the Top 25."
The Tar Heels will host four-league series beginning with Virginia Tech March 19-20 at Anderson Stadium. Carolina will play their first nine ACC games at Anderson Stadium, which features matchups against 2010 NCAA participants Florida State and Virginia. UNC's final home ACC series will be against Boston College April 22-23.
Carolina will play nine ACC games on the road against rival NC State, Georgia Tech and Maryland. The Tar Heels will play nine of their last 12 league games on the road in 2011. The ACC sent five of the eight teams to postseason play a year ago.
"Our conference opponents challenge us every game throughout our season," said coach Papa. "Our conference keeps on getting tougher and tougher every year as evidenced by five teams out of eight making it to the postseason. I want our team to be tested throughout the season so that we can continue to build a program that is a constant in the Top 25."
Sandwiched between early season tournaments and conference play, Carolina will play 10 midweek opponents. The Tar Heels will square off against Old North State foes UNC Wilmington, Charlotte, Campbell, Elon and UNC Greensboro. Other non-conference opponents feature Radford and South Carolina.
For further North Carolina softball updates check back into tarheelblue.com.
