DELAND, Fla. – In coordination with the Stetson Athletics, head coach Shellie Robinson and Stetson Softball have released their annual competitive season schedule.
"Just like every year, we just want to compete", Robinson said. "We have five or six power-five teams on the schedule, so our focus is getting to work, lacing up our cleats, and trying to fight for a win against some of those teams and gaining some good experience before heading into the ASUN Conference".
Stetson opens up with the first 15-of-16 games taking place at Patricia Wilson Field. The season starts with the Frank Griffin Classic Tournament including Farleigh Dickinson, Providence, and Dayton on February 10 and 11. For the sixth game following the tournament, the Hatters take a midweek trip to Miami, Florida for a February 15 contest against Florida International.
SU will host the Hatter Classic at Patricia Wilson Field on February 17 where they will face Fairfield, Mercer and Monmouth.
SU then welcomes UCF to Patricia Wilson Field for a midweek matchup on February 22.
The Stetson Invitational includes Cornell and Presbyterian on February 24-26. UNF will also participate in the tournament but will not play Stetson at that time.
The first weekend of March, Stetson will travel to Athens, Georgia for their first away series of the 23' season where they will face Samford, Georgia and Ball State in the Bulldog Classic at Jack Turner Softball Field.
SU will host a midweek matchup against Holy Cross on Wednesday, March 8 and will travel to Spartanburg, South Carolina to face USC- Upstate on March 10.
The ASUN Conference play begins on Saturday, March 18 at Patricia Wilson Field where the Hatters will host Queens on Saturday and Sunday.
The following Wednesday, March 22, SU will host a marquee midweek contest against UF at home for arguably the toughest matchup of the '23 season.
In regards to potential challenging games this season, Robinson said "I think it's just every weekend. I wouldn't put more pressure on one game then another. I think when you get into the power five games, you might see a little more pressure just because it's a bigger team. But we try to tell our girls we're treating every team the same because you can beat anybody on any given day. That means the teams that we should beat could show up and beat us, too. So if we take them lightly, then we're going to be on the losing end of that game."
The ASUN Conference play continues on March 25 at the UNF Softball Complex in Jacksonville, Florida where Stetson takes on the UNF Ospreys.
A returned contest against Florida will take place midweek on Wednesday, March 29 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.
Kicking off the start of April, SU will travel to Nashville, Tennessee to take on Lipscomb Saturday and Sunday continuing their fight in the ASUN Tournament.
The Hatters return home to Patricia Wilson Field to face Jacksonville State on the weekend of April 7.
Two more midweek contests at Patricia Wilson are taking place on April 12 against USF in a double-header matchup.
The Hatters travel to Lynchburg, Virginia April 15-16 to take on Liberty University in continuation in the league play.
Another notable midweek contest will be held at Patricia Wilson Field on Tuesday, April 18 when the Hatters host the Seminoles of Florida State.
A pivotal contest of Hatter softball, the FGCU Eagles travel to DeLand on April 22-23.
SU will travel to Jacksonville to take on the JU Dolphins April 29-30 and look to secure their last on the road victory of the 2023 season.
The ASUN Conference play will conclude on the weekend of May 5 when the Hatters take on North Alabama at Patricia Wilson Field.
For potential post-season play, the Hatters will not have to travel as all games will be played at Patricia Wilson Field.
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS (PDF).
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