Dec. 6, 2005
ORLANDO - UCF softball head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie announced the 2006 softball schedule on Tuesday. The campaign features 11 teams who participated in the NCAA Tournament last year as the Golden Knights begin their inaugural season in Conference USA.
The 11 teams who were in the NCAA Tournament last year that UCF is slated to play in 2006 include Creighton, Washington, DePaul, Oregon State, Hofstra, Florida, Bethune-Cookman, USF, Southern Illinois, Florida State and Fresno State.
"After losing seven seniors, our young 2006 team will have a lot to prove," said Luers-Gillispie. "We are looking forward to the strong competition we will face in Conference USA and the opening of our new stadium."
UCF, who finished the 2005 season 47-29-1 and earned the program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Atlantic Sun championship, will open the 2006 campaign in St. Augustine. where the team will take on Southern Illinois and Texas Tech in the Triple Crown Tournament Feb. 10-12.
The team then hosts Bethune-Cookman in a mid-week doubleheader followed by the Stetson Tournament in DeLand.
Hofstra visits Orlando for a single game on Feb. 21 before the Golden Knights make their second trip to DeLand to participate in the Stetson Invitational the following weekend.
The Golden Knights host the UCF Tournament from March 3-5 in Altamonte Springs at Merrill Park, the East Coast training facility for the USA Softball National Team.
St. John's comes to town the following week before UCF heads to the West Coast for the Fresno State Bulldog Classic.
The Golden Knights will play three-game series (a double-header one day and a single-header the other) against C-USA foes. Tulsa will be the first conference opponent for UCF when the Golden Hurricane travels to Orlando March 14, the same day UCF's new softball stadium is slated to be complete. After Tulsa, UCF makes the trip to West Virginia to take on Marshall before rounding out the month of March at home against Houston.
The Golden Knights head to Mississippi for a conference series against Southern Miss the first weekend in April. In the middle of the C-USA action, former A-Sun rival Jacksonville travels to Orlando for a mid-week single game April 5.
UCF takes to the road again for Birmingham, Ala. to take on UAB before heading to Tampa to take on USF.
First year team Memphis makes the trip to Orlando April 14-15 followed by Florida on the 19th. The Golden Knights' final road trip will be to El Paso, Texas to take on the Miners of UTEP.
Florida State and East Carolina will round UCF's schedule the first week of May.
The top six teams in the conference will earn a bid to the C-USA Tournament hosted by Tulsa May 10-13.