2013 SNHU SOFTBALL SCHEDULE
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Southern New Hampshire University softball team opens its 2013 season on Sunday, March 3 in Clermont, Fla. with a pair of games against Georgian Court University and the University of Mary. The Penmen are slated to play a total of 47 games this season.
SNHU will play a total of eight games in Florida, six at the National Training Center in Clermont and a pair of contests against Rollins College, which reached the South Region final a season ago. The Penmen also face Grand Valley State at the NTC March 7. The Lakers qualified for the NCAA Tournament a season ago.
The Penmen face a total of seven teams that made the NCAAs a season ago. In addition to Rollins and Grand Valley State, Southern New Hampshire faces East Region champion Southern Connecticut State on March 16 in its northern opener in New Haven, Conn. for a non-league doubleheader. SNHU also will take on Adelphi University, Assumption College and UMass Lowell in Northeast-10 games, and Molloy College and LIU Post in non-league doubleheaders at Penmen Field.
The Northeast-10 softball schedule has changed for 2013. In the past, teams played one doubleheader against all 15 NE-10 opponents, now, similar to the format baseball used in 2012, softball teams will use divisional play, playing three times against the seven other schools in their division, while playing four teams from the opposite division in doubleheaders. The top four teams by division record in each division will qualify for the Northeast-10 Championship.
The Northeast Division consists of Southern New Hampshire, Bentley University, Franklin Pierce University, Merrimack College, UMass Lowell, Saint Anselm College, Saint Michael's College and Stonehill College. The Penmen host Franklin Pierce for their NE-10 opener on Thursday, March 21.
The Northeast-10 Championship will also have a new format this season, using an eight-team, single-elimination format that gives a bye to the No. 2 seed in each division and a double-bye to the top-seed in each division. The No. 3 and No. 4 seeds in each division will square off on Tuesday, April 30, at the site of the higher seed. The remaining six schools travel to the top seed in the Northeast Division, as the winners of the first round games take on the No. 2 seeds on Thursday, May 2. The championship game is slated for Saturday, May 4.
Southern New Hampshire returns 14 players from a 2012 squad that set a school record for victories, going 28-19 and qualifying for the Northeast-10 Championship for the third time in four seasons.
