Dec. 17, 2013

2014 Schedule

BOSTON - Highlighted by its inaugural season in the Patriot League and trips to California and South Carolina, the Boston University softball team and second-year head coach Kathryn Gleason have announced their 2014 schedule. The Terriers, who will compete in a total of five match-ups against squads that participated in last season's NCAA tournament, will kick off the regular season campaign with SEC power South Carolina at the Gamecock Invitational on Friday, Feb. 21.

Departing the America East with a league high nine conference tournament crowns and eight regular season titles, the Terriers will play 23 straight road games to open the new era before starting the 16-game home schedule against Providence on Thursday, March 27.

"We are very excited about the challenging schedule before us in the 2014 season," said Gleason. "As we look to make our mark in the Patriot League, it is our mission to compete against the top teams in the country in order to prepare our team for what will surely be a battle in tough league competition. We have a balanced mix of veteran leadership and young energy that is poised and ready to get to work from the first pitch to the last out. We are anxious to get on the road and see some of our alumni support groups as the Terriers take on the upcoming campaign."

The Gamecocks went 34-25 in 2013 and finished as a regional finalist at the University of Texas. They mark the first of 23 scheduled non-conference opponents to record at least 20 wins last season. During the three-day event, BU will also face off against Michigan St., Gardner Webb and Georgetown.

The Terriers will then travel out west for five games at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational on Feb 28-March 2. They will compete against the host school once and battle both Seattle and UC Davis two times apiece.

BU remains on the road with an extended stay in Clearwater, Fla., from Friday, March 7 - Sunday, March 16. First, the Terriers will compete in the Under Armour Showcase against Toledo, Southern Illinois, Cleveland State, Villanova and Providence.

In-between the Showcase and Spring Break Invitational, the Terriers will meet both Quinnipiac and Cleveland State on March 11 and also face defending MAC champion Central Michigan on March 12. The Spring Break Invitational starts March 14 and will feature Seton Hall, Maine, Long Island Brooklyn, Miami (Ohio) and Butler.

After playing out west and in the south, BU will make its first appearance in the northeast at the Yale Invitational on March 22-23. The Terriers will face the Bulldogs and Bryant two times apiece in New Haven, Conn., before concluding the extended season-opening road trip at Bryant on Wednesday, March 26.

Providence marks the first home opponent on Thursday, March 27 at 4 p.m. The Terriers then open the Patriot League schedule at defending conference champion Army with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 29 followed by the rubber match on March 30. The month of April begins with five straight games in the Boston area. BU hosts UConn on the 1st and then visits Boston College on April 3 before hosting Lehigh on April 5-6.

The remaining single game non-conference on the road are at Dartmouth (April 9), UMass Lowell (April 17) and UMass (April 28). The Terriers will host Boston College (April 10), Rhode Island (April 22), Harvard (April 24) and UMass Lowell (April 28).

After welcoming the Mountain Hawks to campus, BU will continue the conference schedule with a three-game series at Holy Cross (April 12-13) and Colgate (April 19-20). The Terriers then host Lafayette (April 26-27) and Bucknell (May 3-4) with Senior Day taking place on Sunday, May 4.

The top four seeds will advance to the Patriot League tournament, which will be hosted by the regular season champion on May 8-10.

BU returns nine lettermen from last season's injury-plagued team that went 21-26-1. Senior Jayme Mask claimed America East Player of the Year honors by batting a conference-high .399 and tallying 37 stolen bases, fourth most in league history. Other key returnees include 2013 All-Conference members Brittany Clendenny (1st), Megan Volpano (2nd) and Lauren Hynes (rookie).