“We have certainly upgraded the quality of teams we will play with this year’s schedule. We open the year at FSU, in what will be by far the toughest tournament we have ever opened with,” said WKU head coach Leslie Phelan. “This year’s slate has a lot to do with strength of schedule, not only for us but for the conference. If we can achieve a good record against these teams, it will increase our chance of receiving an at-large bid.”
Aside from the trip to Tallahassee, the Toppers will play in tournaments hosted by UT-Chattanooga, Louisville, Georgia Tech and Indiana. WKU will also host two tournaments in March, the Hilltopper Classic (March 5-7) and the WKU Spring Fling (March 12-14). Western’s first tournament, the Hilltopper Classic, will be its home opener.
WKU opens the conference season on Saturday, April 10, when it welcomes Middle Tennessee to the WKU Softball Complex. The Hilltoppers will also have homestands against SBC teams Florida International and North Texas (in its first year of Sun Belt softball), with trips to New Mexico State and Louisiana-Lafayette. The Ragin’ Cajuns, who advanced to the College World Series last season, will also host the Sun Belt Tournament (May 13-15).
The Toppers return 12 letterwinners from a year ago, including all-conference selections Riley Garcia, Allison Silver and Renita Pennington, as well as the school’s first NFCA all-region selection, junior Shelly Floyd.
“I think we have the makeup to compete with most of our team returning. We’re as strong as last year, we just have to stay healthy,” said Phelan. “We had at least one win against the teams that finished above us last season, so that is something to build on as we continue to push for a conference championship.”
