Dec. 16, 2010
2011 Schedule
Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook softball coach Megan Bryant has announced the 2011 schedule, which includes 25 home contests and four opponents that advanced to the 2010 NCAA Championship. The Seawolves will face opposition from power conferences such as the ACC, SEC and Atlantic-10 in addition to an 18-game America East slate.
"I think the schedule will accomplish two goals," Bryant explained. "It will allow our young team to get their feet wet at the Divsion-I level and it will also prepare us for the tough America East schedule."
The Seawolves will open the campaign on Feb. 26 at the Longwood Spring Classic in Farmville, Va. against defending Patriot League champion Bucknell at 9 a.m. and host Longwood at 1 p.m. Stony Brook will then wrap up the weekend with a contest against Quinnipiac the following morning and another matchup vs. Longwood in the afternoon.
From there, the team will head further south to Boca Raton, Fla. for the FAU Tournament on March 4-6, in which Stony Brook is scheduled to face Seton Hall, Providence, Harvard, Florida Atlantic and South Carolina. The Seawolves will then head to Raleigh, N.C. the following week for games against Fairfield, NC State, Charleston Southern and James Madison in the NC State Wolfpack Challenge.
Stony Brook will make its home debut on March 19-20 in the Stony Brook Invitational, during which the hosts will play a pair of games against both Holy Cross and Fairfield. The weekend opens an 18-game homestand for the Seawolves that includes a three-game series with rival Boston University (March 26-27) and a doubleheader against the defending MAAC champion, Iona, on March 31.
The Seawolves will get their first conference road test on April 9-10 when they travel to Orono, Maine to take on the Black Bears. Stony Brook will then return home for a doubleheader against Atlantic-10 champion Fordham on April 13, before going back on the road for games against Long Island, Hartford, Rutgers and Rider.
After a doubleheader against Quinnipiac on April 27, the Seawolves will wrap up the home portion of the regular season against Binghamton on April 30-May 1. The regular season concludes with a pair of games at Seton Hall (May 3) and a three-game series at Albany (May 7-8).
The 2011 America East Championship is scheduled for May 12-14, while the NCAA Regionals are set for May 19-21. Stony Brook will be looking to build on an impressive 32-win season and a trip to the conference championship game in 2010.
"It should be an interesting race this year," Bryant said of the America East. "The top three hurlers have all graduated so the conference will have a different look. We're going to need to put up more runs, and I think this team can do that. It's going to be a pretty open race."
