University of North Carolina Athletics
Softball Unveils 2016 Schedule
January 7, 2016 | Softball
CHAPEL HILL – Carolina softball is pleased to announce its schedule for the upcoming 2016 season. A challenging slate, the Tar Heels will take on a quarter of the NCAA Tournament field from last season, squaring off with four Super Regionals participants and seven conference champions, including NCAA runner-up Michigan.
“My main goals are to make as competitive a schedule as I can possibly make so that we can put ourselves in a good position for the end of the year and for conference play,” said head coach Donna J. Papa. “You can't play all top-25 teams, because you have to have a good record, but we need to find a good balance.”
Quick Hits:
- 55 games against 34 opponents
- 25 home games at Anderson Stadium
- 28 games against 16 NCAA Regional participants
- Four of the 16 Super Regional participants, including NCAA runner-up Michigan:
- Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, NC State
- Seven conference champions, six of whom also won their conference tournament:
- Michigan (Big Ten), North Dakota State (Summit), Fairfield (MAAC), Longwood (Big South), USC Upstate (Atlantic Sun), JMU (CAA), Florida State (ACC)
- Eight teams that were ranked in the final NFCA or ESPN.com Polls, with an additional three opponents receiving votes
- 21 games against 13 teams ranked in the top 50 in the final RPI
- ACC schedule breakdown:
- 24 games – eight three-game series
- Home: Syracuse, Florida State, Louisville, Notre Dame
- Away: Pittsburgh, Boston College, Virginia, Georgia Tech
- Missed: Virginia Tech, NC State
- ACC Tournament Info:
- Hosted by NC State on May 12-14
- Single-elimination format
- Top eight teams qualify, seeded according to regular-season standings
The Tar Heels will open the season in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 12, where UNC will face off against Summit League Champion No. 25 North Dakota State, the SEC's Arkansas and NCAA Regional qualifier Texas.
After a midweek clash at South Carolina, the Tar Heels open the home season on Friday, Feb. 19, with the inaugural Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Selected as one of the four host sites for the first year of a new annual tradition, Carolina will take on Northwestern and Illinois of the Big Ten, while also playing host to Boston College.
“It's really exciting to start a series like that,” said Papa. “Having Illinois and Northwestern here…we haven't played Illinois a ton over the years, but Northwestern we have, and those games have always been thrillers. As coaches, we always want to have some opportunities to play some good conferences, and since basketball does it, it just seems like that was something that could really potentially happen.
“The coaches are really excited. I think it will be a really fun thing to match up these two conferences. It's something that no other pair of conferences is doing, so I think it will be unique.”
The Tar Heels continue the homestand the following weekend by hosting the Carolina Classic, featuring MAAC Champion Fairfield, as well as Butler, IUPUI and Georgetown, before heading out West to the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, California. In the final tuneup before the start of conference play, Carolina will face No. 2 Michigan, as well as perennial powerhouses California, Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State and Oregon State.
“When we go out to Fullerton, that tournament is loaded every year,” said Papa. “We open up with Michigan, who was in the championship game last year, and I actually requested that game. We really want to be tested against a team of that caliber.”
The 24-game ACC slate returns for 2016, with the Tar Heels hosting four three-game series and playing four series on the road. This spring, Carolina will play host to Syracuse (March 12-13), Florida State (March 25-26), Louisville (April 2-3) and Notre Dame (April 24-25), while traveling to Pittsburgh, Boston College, Virginia and Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels will not face Virginia Tech or NC State during the conference slate, although Carolina will host the Wolfpack in a midweek nonconference matchup on March 16.
“I think the ACC has gotten stronger with the recent expansion,” said Papa. “Adding Notre Dame and Louisville…every weekend that you compete is tough. Some of the teams have returning pitchers and hitters that are now juniors and seniors and are going to be really strong. But, I think that we should do well this year.
“Year in and year out, Florida State is really what we consider a rival matchup. We've had lots of extra-inning games. We respect every single ACC opponent and we try not to make any game bigger than any other game.”
The Tar Heels will take on some of the strongest teams in the region in midweek nonconference games, including a rematch with No. 12 Georgia in Athens on April 6, a doubleheader at No. 22 JMU on April 20, a Tuesday game at Big South Champion Longwood and a matchup with Atlantic Sun frontrunner USC Upstate, all NCAA participants.
Carolina will not have to go far for the postseason, as NC State will play host to the 2016 ACC Tournament. Once again featuring a single-elimination format, the top-eight teams according to the ACC regular-season standings will square off in Raleigh for a shot at the conference's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
The NCAA Tournament begins on May 19, with NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals being held on the campuses of the highest seeds. The 2016 Women's College World Series returns to Oklahoma City once again, where it will be held from June 2-8.
