Gardner-Webb Releases 2012 Softball Schedule
December 13, 2011 | Softball
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb softball head coach Tom Cole is pleased to announce the upcoming 2012 Runnin' Bulldogs softball schedule, which includes contests against nationally ranked opponents Florida and Georgia as well as non-conference contests versus Kansas, UNC Wilmington, Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green, St. John's, Albany, USC Upstate and Furman.
"We are very excited about this upcoming season. We always play an aggressive schedule and this year will be no different," commented Coach Cole. "We will play two of the top programs in the country early in the season in Florida and Georgia. Florida finished last year ranked #2 in the country and Georgia finished ranked #6. We will play both of them on their home field. We believe that by playing up we will only get better. Shortly after spring break we will begin conference play, and we again expect the Big South to be extremely competitive."
The Runnin' Bulldogs will host Spartanburg Methodist College in a double-header exhibition on Saturday, February 11th, at 1 p.m., before kicking off its 2012 regular season slate with a double-header at home against Morgan State on February 17th at 1 p.m.
After a non-conference road double-header at Furman in Greenville, S.C. on February 18th, the Runnin' Bulldogs will return home to host North Carolina A&T on February 21st and USC Upstate on February 22nd. Both are non-conference double-headers slated for a 1 p.m. start time at Varsity Field in Boiling Springs, N.C.
Coach Cole's squad will not play another home contest until March 24, as their next 18 games will be on the road.
Gardner-Webb will kick-off the 18-match road swing at the Seahawk Classic at UNC Wilmington on February 24-26th. The Runnin' Bulldogs will do battle with Kansas and host UNC Wilmington on Friday, February 24th, before taking on Fairfield on Saturday morning, February 25th. On Saturday afternoon, GWU will play in one of the two semi-final games and will then compete in either the championship game or the consolation game on Sunday, February 26th.
GWU will remain on the road for their next contest, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will head down to Athens, Ga. to face off with the Georgia Bulldogs for a single game at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 29th.
The following weekend, the Runnin' Bulldogs return to tournament play, as Coach Cole's squad will compete at the U of F Tournament for the second straight season hosted by Florida in Gainesville, Fla. on March 2-4th. On day one, March 2nd, the Runnin' Bulldogs are slated to take on Tennessee State and Florida, while on Saturday, March 3rd, GWU will do battle with Eastern Michigan and Florida once more. On Sunday morning, the Runnin' Bulldogs will take on both Eastern Michigan and Tennessee State once more in the round robin style tournament.
After a five-day break, the Runnin' Bulldogs will return to action, this time heading down the road to Rock Hill, S.C. to take part in the Winthrop-adidas Invitational on March 9-10th. There the Runnin' Bulldogs will take on Albany and UNC Wilmington on Friday March 9th and then both Bowling Green and St. John's on Saturday, March 10th.
Gardner-Webb will then play a mid-week double-header on the road at South Carolina State on Wednesday, March 14th, at 1 p.m., before setting their sights on Big South Conference play.
In their first home game in over a month, the Runnin' Bulldogs will jump start their 2012 Big South Conference slate against the defending 2011 Big South Champions in Liberty University on March 24-25th. The two teams will play a double-header on Saturday, March 24th, at 1 p.m. and then a single game on Sunday, March 25th, beginning at 2 p.m.
The Runnin' Bulldogs will then hit the road for a single conference game at Presbyterian on Wednesday, March 28th, at 3 p.m. in Clinton, S.C. and a three-game conference weekend series at Coastal Carolina on March 31st through April 1 in Conway, S.C.
GWU will then return home to host new Big South Conference member Campbell University for a three-game weekend series on April 6-7th, with both days slated for a 1 p.m. start time, before welcoming the Charlotte 49ers to Boiling Springs, N.C. for a non-conference twin bill on Wednesday, April 11th, at 2 p.m.
After a weekend series at Winthrop on April 14-15th in Rock Hill, S.C., the Runnin' Bulldogs will return home to host Presbyterian in a mid-week conference double-header on Wednesday, April 18th, at 2 p.m. and will then wrap up their 2012 home slate with a three-game Big South Conference weekend series versus Charleston Southern on April 21-22nd. Saturday, April 21st, is slated for the double-header starting at 1 p.m., while the third and final game of the weekend series is set for Sunday, April 22nd, at 2 p.m.
Gardner-Webb will then wrap up their regular season with a three-game series at Radford on April 28-29th, the site of the 2012 Big South Conference Softball Championship Tournament, which will be held May 10-12th in Radford, Va.
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| 2012 GWU Softball Schedule (pdf) |
