Complete Schedule (PDF)
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. --WKU softball head coach Amy Tudor unveiled a challenging 2016 schedule Tuesday afternoon. This year's slate features 29 home games and 10 contests against teams that made the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
"I am looking forward to kicking off the 2016 season with this very young and hardworking squad," Tudor said. "We graduated seven starters from last season so we will count on youth and talent to push us through this challenging schedule."
The Lady Toppers begin the year by participating in four consecutive preseason tournaments. WKU opens the season at Auburn University's Tiger Invitational on Feb. 12-14 and features contests with Appalachian State, Butler, Furman and the host Tigers. The Lady Toppers will return south the following month to participate in Mississippi State's Bulldog Slamboree on the weekend of March 4-6. The challenging Slamboree will feature contests against NCAA Tournament teams Central Arkansas, Chattanooga and the host Bulldogs.
WKU is once again set to host a pair of invites this season at the WKU Softball Complex. The Hilltopper Classic runs from Feb. 19-21 and features nearby schools; Austin Peay, Missouri State and Murray State. The Hilltopper Spring Fling directly follows as WKU welcomes Valparaiso, Ball State, Western Carolina and Southeast Missouri to The Hill on Feb. 26-28.
Mid-week home contests between in-state rivals Louisville (March 30) and Kentucky (April 20) and a doubleheader with nearby foe Lipscomb (March 16) highlight the rest of the non-conference portion of the schedule. Conference USA action begins on Saturday, March 19, when the Lady Toppers welcome FIU to town for a three-game series. In addition to the series with the Panthers, WKU is set to host three-game series with North Texas (March 25-26), Middle Tennessee (April 9-10) and Marshall (May 7-8). The Lady Toppers will hit the road for weekend series with LA Tech (March 12-13), Southern Miss (April 2-3), Charlotte (April 16-17) and Florida Atlantic (April 30-May 1).
"By competing with some of the nation's best, we are looking to build off of last year's successes and continue to build a great program," Tudor said.
Ringing In 2016
The Lady Toppers' Conference USA championship rings were delivered to The Hill this past week as WKU captured the program's first C-USA regular season title with a 16-5 record in conference play. The Lady Toppers finished with a 36-14 overall record and the .720 winning percentage was the highest in program history. WKU went on to sweep the field at the C-USA Championship to garner its first-ever automatic bid to the NCAA Championship field.
