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IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa softball coach Marla Looper announced the Hawkeyes’ 2017 schedule on Friday, featuring 12 opponents who reached the 2016 NCAA Regionals, which includes three 2016 Super Regional teams.
The squad will kick off the season with four road tournaments. First, the Hawkeyes will travel to San Marcos, Texas, for the CenturyLink Tournament on Feb. 10-12. Texas State is the first Hawkeye opponent to have earned a berth in the 2016 NCAA Regionals.
The B1G/ACC Challenge, the second stop for the Hawkeyes, is the highlight of the tournament portion of the schedule. Iowa is one of eight teams to represent the Big Ten against their ACC counterparts, with games Feb. 17-19 in Atlanta, Georgia. Last season, the Big Ten posted a 20-12 record in the inaugural tournament.
This is Iowa’s first season to participate in the challenge. They will kick off the tournament against Virginia Tech with one game on Feb. 17 and another on Feb. 18. The Hawkeyes will then take on Georgia Tech with games on Feb. 18-19.
The team will travel to Cal State Fullerton for the Judi Garman Classic March 3-5. During the Judy Garman Classic, the squad will take on Florida and Washington, both of whom reached the 2016 NCAA Super Regionals. The Hawkeyes conclude their month-long road stretch at the Jayhawk Invitational in Lawrence, Kansas, March 11-13. The squad will then host the Hawkeye Invitational March 17-19 in their final tournament prior to league play.
In addition to the tournament slate, the Hawkeyes will travel to Missouri for a mid-week double header on March 15. The Tigers finished the 2016 season ranked 11th in the nation. They advanced to the Super Regionals where they fell in two games (5-3, 5-4) to Michigan.
Iowa begins league play March 24 with a three-game series against Illinois. The Hawkeyes will also compete against Purdue, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Rutgers, Minnesota, Ohio State and Northwestern in Big Ten action. Each conference matchup will be a three-game set with the exception of Nebraska, which will be a midweek double header April 12.
Five of Iowa’s Big Ten opponents (Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Ohio State and Northwestern) reached the 2016 NCAA Regional Tournament. Three of those teams were ranked in the top 50 – with Minnesota leading the pack at No. 20 – at the conclusion of the 2016 season. Nebraska finished the season ranked No. 34, while Illinois landed at No. 47.
The Hawkeyes close out the regular season with a three-game series against Northwestern May 5-7. The Big Ten Tournament will be held at Michigan May 11-13, with NCAA Regional (May 19-21) and NCAA Super Regional (May 26-28) to follow. The collegiate softball season will conclude with the NCAA Women’s College World Series May 31-June 7 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
2017 Softball Schedule
| Feb. 10-12 | at Texas State Tournament, San Marcos, TX | ||
| Friday | Feb. 10 | vs. Abilene Christian | 10 am |
| vs. TAMU Corpus Christi | 12:30 pm | ||
| Saturday | Feb. 11 | vs. Texas State | 10 am |
| vs. Texas Tech | 3 pm | ||
| Sunday | Feb. 12 | vs. Abilene Christian | 10 am |
| Feb. 17-19 | at B1G/ACC Challenge, Atlanta, GA | ||
| Friday | Feb. 17 | vs. Virginia Tech | TBD |
| Saturday | Feb. 18 | vs. Virginia Tech | TBD |
| vs. Georgia Tech | TBD | ||
| Sunday | Feb.19 | vs. Georgia Tech | TBD |
| March 3-5 | at Judi Garman Classic, Cal State Fullerton | ||
| Thursday | March 2 | vs. Florida | 2:30 pm |
| vs. Fresno State | 5 pm | ||
| Friday | March 4 | vs. Washington | 11:30 am |
| Saturday | March 5 | vs. ASU | 7:30 pm |
| vs. Cal | 10 pm | ||
| March 11-13 | at Jayhawk Invitational, Lawrence, KS | ||
| Saturday | March 11 | vs. Drake | 9 am |
| vs. UMKC | 11:30 am | ||
| Sunday | March 12 | vs. UMKC | 11:30 am |
| vs. Kansas | 2 pm | ||
| Monday | March 13 | vs. Kansas | 4 pm |
| Wednesday | March 15 | at Missouri (DH) | 3 and 5 pm |
| Fri-Sun | March 17-19 | Hawkeye Invitational | TBD |
| Friday | March 24 | Illinois | 5:30 pm |
| Saturday | March 25 | Illinois | 1 pm |
| Sunday | March 26 | Illinois | Noon |
| Friday | March 31 | at Purdue | TBD |
| Saturday | April 1 | at Purdue | TBD |
| Sunday | April 2 | at Purdue | TBD |
| Wednesday | April 5 | at Drake | 6 pm |
| Friday | April 7 | at Wisconsin | TBD |
| Saturday | April 8 | at Wisconsin | TBD |
| Sunday | April 9 | at Wisconsin | TBD |
| Tuesday | April 11 | at Northern Iowa | 6 pm |
| Wednesday | April 12 | Nebraska (DH) | 3 and 5 pm |
| Friday | April 14 | Rutgers | 6 pm |
| Saturday | April 15 | Rutgers | 1 pm |
| Sunday | April 16 | Rutgers | Noon |
| Tuesday | April 18 | Iowa State | 6 pm |
| Friday | April 21 | at Minnesota | 6 pm |
| Saturday | April 22 | at Minnesota | 1 pm |
| Sunday | April 23 | at Minnesota | Noon |
| Wednesday | April 26 | Western Illinois | 7 pm |
| Friday | April 28 | at Ohio State | 5 pm |
| Saturday | April 29 | at Ohio State | 1 pm |
| Sunday | April 30 | at Ohio State | Noon |
| Friday | May 5 | Northwestern | 6 pm |
| Saturday | May 6 | Northwestern | 2 pm |
| Sunday | May 7 | Northwestern | 1 pm |
| Thurs-Sat | May 11-13 | at Big Ten Tournament (at Michigan) | |
| Fri-Sun | May 19-21 | at NCAA Regional | |
| Fri-Sun | May 26-28 | at NCAA Super Regional | |
| Wed-Wed | May 31-June 7 | at NCAA Women’s College World Series | |
| Oklahoma City, OK |