12/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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CONWAY, S.C. -- The Coastal Carolina Softball team will have 26 home games, travel to three nationally-recognized tournaments and host the Big South Conference Championship as part of the 2007 schedule, announced by Head Coach Jess Dannelly today.
"This schedule is definitely one of the toughest we have had in the last five seasons," Dannelly said. "It is pretty comparable to last year. We have some great challenges ahead and playing some of the top-ranked teams in the country will only make us a stronger team and help us in conference play and hopefully beyond."
The defending Big South champions will open the 2007 slate at the Carolina Classic, Feb. 9-11 in Chapel Hill, N.C. Among the tournament participants are five teams that played in last year's NCAA Championship, including CCU's first opponent Tennessee, who fell to eventual national champion Arizona in the semifinals of the Women's College World Series. Also in the Classic, Coastal is slated to take on North Carolina State, Gardner-Webb, Ohio and Penn State in pool play.
Coastal will then open its home season with a three-way doubleheader against Elon and Lipscomb on Feb.17-18. The Lady Chanticleers then hit the road again heading to Columbus, Ga. where they will compete in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Leadoff Classic, Feb. 23-25. In pool play, Coastal will take on Illinois State and Virginia Tech on the first day, followed by Georgia and Lehigh the following day to set its seed in bracket play.
The third tournament of the season has the Lady Chants heading to Oxford, Miss to play in the Red and Blue Classic, Mar. 2-4. They will play Stephen F. Austin and Alcorn State in opening day action. The second day will be a family affair, as Dannelly takes on son McKewn, now an assistant coach at Ole Miss, in the opening game, followed by Southern Mississippi and Kennesaw State.
On Mar. 7, Coastal heads to Columbia, S.C. to play a doubleheader against the South Carolina Gamecocks after which the Lady Chants will finally return home for a 10-game homestand over nine days. In that span, Coastal will take on the Dukes of James Madison (Mar. 10-11), East Carolina (Mar. 13-14), Kennesaw State and Appalachian State (Mar. 17-18).
A new dimension in Big South play starts this year, as all conference matchups will now be three-game series. The Lady Chants open conference play at Charleston Southern, March 24 and 28. But as in all years, the season will wrap up with the Big South Championship, and this year Coastal will enjoy the home field advantage.
Coastal is coming off a 38-22 season in which the Lady Chants won the Big South title and made their fourth appearance in the NCAA Regionals under Dannelly. The squad returns 12 letterwinners, including seven seniors, from last year's team.
