Softball Releases 2012 Schedule
10/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Oct. 26, 2011
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama head softball coach Patrick Murphy announced the 2012 schedule on Wednesday. The schedule features 56 games, including 30 home games and three tournaments that will be hosted at Rhoads Stadium. The Crimson Tide will also host the 2012 Southeastern Conference Tournament.
"We are excited about our schedule which will challenge us early," Murphy said. "Nothing will be easy this year which will require us to be in top form every game."
The strength of schedule will once again be one of the tops in the nation. Alabama will play 10 games against NCAA tournament participants in the first month of the season and play a total of 20 teams that made it to the postseason a year ago, including three that advanced to the Women's College World Series.
In all, Alabama will play in five regular season tournaments, with two marking the start of the 2012 campaign. The Tide will open the season at the South Alabama Classic on Feb. 10-12, which will feature Jacksonville State, Lipscomb, Memphis and host South Alabama.
UA will then head to the Auburn Invitational on Feb. 17-19, which will feature WCWS participants, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. NCAA tournament participant Georgia Tech will also be at the plains, along with NC State.
The Tide then opens its home portion of the schedule with back-to-back tournaments presented by Easton. UA will host East Carolina, North Dakota State and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at the Easton Bama Bash on Feb. 24-26, and then host UAB, Maryland and UMass at the Easton Alabama Invite on March 2-4.
After a midweek game against Samford on March 7, Alabama will dive into conference play at Kentucky on March 9-11. UA will then head across the country to face Oregon and Portland State on March 13-14.
The SEC home opener will be against Mississippi on March 16-18, before hosting rival Tennessee in a midweek doubleheader on March 21.
Alabama will then host its final regular season tournament when it welcomes DePaul and Longwood to the Easton Alabama Challenge on March 23-25.
The Tide then plays rival Auburn on the road for a doubleheader on March 27, before heading to Starkville to face Mississippi State on March 30 - April 1.
UA returns home for seven straight games as it will host LSU, April 6-8, South Carolina on April 13-15, and the Tide rounds out its homestand with a single game against Georgia State on April 18.
Alabama will then play a SEC series against Georgia (April 20-22) on the road before a midweek contest against Troy at Rhoads Stadium. The Tide then heads to Fayetteville to face Arkansas in a three-game set on April 27-29.
In what could determine the SEC championship, Alabama returns home to host Florida on May 4-6. The Tide then will head to New York to face Fordham to conclude the regular season.
Alabama is slated to host the SEC Tournament on May 10-12. It is the first time the Tide has hosted the tournament since 2004.
"Having the SEC tournament return to Tuscaloosa is a great gift to all of our fans," Murphy said. "They will get to see eight of the nation's top teams for three days in May. We can't wait to put on an awesome show for our SEC teams."
NCAA postseason play is schedule to begin May 18. The WCWS will once again be held in Oklahoma City and will start on May 31.
