University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Release 2017 Softball Schedule
November 17, 2016 | Softball
CHAPEL HILL – Carolina softball is pleased to announce its schedule for the upcoming 2017 season. A challenging slate, the Tar Heels will play 17 games against 2016 NCAA Regional qualifiers and face five conference champions. More than half of UNC's opponents finished in the top 100 of the RPI, with 10 teams in the top 50 and five in the top 25.
The Tar Heels are excited to host three tournaments this season, with the return of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and Carolina Classic events in February, while UNC will kick off the postseason by hosting the 2017 ACC Championship at Anderson Stadium.
“Our 2017 playing schedule is one that will be challenging and exciting at the same time,” said head coach Donna J. Papa. “In developing a schedule, you have to schedule and play quality competition throughout the season to help your team be prepared for and contend for the ACC Championship as well as NCAA postseason opportunities. I like to play a tough schedule and get tested early and often. Being a part of one of the top conferences in the country, the ACC, we have the opportunity to compete against some top RPI teams throughout the season.
“Right out of the gate, in our season opener in Puerto Rico, we will face Baylor from the Big XII, California from the Pac-12 and Illinois from the Big Ten. Both Baylor and Cal have made appearances in the Women's College World Series in recent years. I look forward to navigating through our schedule and feel that it is one that will put us in a great position to achieve a number of our goals.”
Quick Hits:
- 56 games against 34 opponents
- 30 regular-season home games at Anderson Stadium
- 17 games against 10 NCAA Regional participants
- Five games against NCAA Super Regional Qualifiers
- Home doubleheader against #7-seed JMU
- Away series at #8-seed Florida State, who advanced to the WCWS
- Five conference tournament champions, three of whom won the regular season:
- JMU (CAA), Longwood (Big South), Florida State (ACC), USC Upstate (A-Sun), Miami-Ohio (MAC)
- Five teams that were ranked in the final NFCA and ESPN.com polls, with an additional four opponents receiving votes:
- No. 3/4 Florida State, No. 11/10 JMU, No. 17/18 Tennessee, No. 21 Baylor, No. 23/25 Notre Dame
- Of the 34 opponents, 22 finished last season in the top 100 of the RPI, with 10 top-50 teams and five in the top 25:
- #5 FSU, #7 JMU, #14 Baylor, #15 Tennessee, #24 South Carolina
- Coach Papa will face three teams for the first time
- Northern Kentucky – UNC played four slow-pitch games in 1981-82
- Towson – UNC faced once in 1984
- UMass Lowell – UNC's first-ever matchup
- ACC schedule breakdown:
- 24 games – eight three-game series
- Home: Boston College, Pittsburgh, NC State, Virginia<
- Away: Florida State, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Syracuse
- Missed: Georgia Tech, Louisville
- UNC will host the ACC Tournament for the first time since 2012:
- Three days of competition: May 11-13, 2016
- Single-elimination format
- Top eight teams qualify, seeded according to regular-season standings
The Tar Heels will open 2017 on a high note, traveling to Puerto Rico to take on Power 5 teams Baylor, California and Illinois on Feb. 10-12. Carolina then kicks off a 10-game homestand on Wednesday, Feb. 15, with a visit from Elon. The Tar Heels will host Ohio State and Purdue in the second annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge, then a visit from South Carolina is followed by the annual Carolina Classic.
“I love having the ACC/Big Ten Challenge,” said Papa. “It is a great way for us to play schools in a quality conference and create an atmosphere of trying to be the best. We all want the ACC to dominate in this challenge. I take a lot of pride in the challenge. Last year as a conference, we did not fare as well as we would have liked, so it will be fun to see how we come out this year.”
UNC begins ACC play at home against Pittsburgh on March 3 in the first of eight three-game ACC series. New this season, the conference has moved to a three-day series format, with single games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of each conference weekend, eliminating pre-scheduled doubleheaders.
“It is going to be a little different this year as we will play our three-game series over three days just like baseball,” said Papa. “It will change our strategy in preparing for those series. It will be fun to be able to put everything out there for one game a day. I think that there will be lots of exciting games for the fans. I don't want to make predictions this early. Conference games will be hard fought whether it be on the mound or offensively.”
Carolina heads to Charleston, South Carolina, on March 10-12 for the Holy City Showdown, the final nonconference tournament of the spring, before shifting focus to ACC play. UNC will host another 10-game homestand from March 24 to April 5, including NC State's first ACC series at Anderson Stadium since 2014 and a doubleheader against NCAA Regional foe Longwood on April 4.
“The ACC continues to get more and more competitive every year,” said Papa. “We keep getting more talented players and playing stronger schedules. Florida State has been the dominant team in our conference over the last couple of years with recent trips to the WCWS.”
The Tar Heels will play three of their final four ACC series on the road, with the final home weekend series against Boston College on April 14-15. Carolina's final home games of the regular season will be on April 26, with a doubleheader against powerhouse JMU.
“One of the key nonconference matchups will be a doubleheader scheduled against James Madison,” said Papa. “They had a fantastic 2016, a top-10 finish and hosted NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals. While they graduated a dominating pitcher, they will still be a great team.”
North Carolina has the privilege of hosting the 2017 ACC Tournament on May 11-13 at Anderson Stadium. A three-day event, the top eight teams, seeded according to the regular season standings, are invited to participate in a single-elimination tournament. The Tar Heels have advanced to at least the semifinals all nine seasons since the shift to single elimination, including knocking off #4-seed Boston College in the first round last season.
“We are thrilled to host ACC Tournament and to have the opportunity to compete for a championship in our home stadium,” said Papa. “It is an honor and one that you don't get to host often. We will be able to play on our home field and in front of our fans. It will be great to have teams come into Chapel Hill for a tournament that gives you an automatic bid to NCAAs.”
The NCAA Tournament begins on May 18 with NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals being held on the campuses of the highest seeds. The 2017 Women's College World Series returns to Oklahoma City once again, where it will be held from June 1-7.
For the complete 2017 schedule, click here.
