Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks announce 2012 softball schedule
12/20/2011 8:11:00 PM | Softball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Three early season tournaments and five contests against teams that reached the NCAA regionals last season highlight the challenging 2012 Lehigh softball schedule announced Tuesday by head coach Fran Troyan. The Mountain Hawks won their 11th Patriot League tournament title last May and enter the new season gunning for their seventh NCAA regional appearance in the last nine years.
For the fourth time in five seasons, Lehigh will open up its season in North Carolina, this time in Raleigh for the Wolfpack Challenge, hosted by North Carolina State, February 24-26. The Mountain Hawks will play five games in three days, beginning with contests against Kent State out of the Mid-American Conference and the host Wolfpack on February 24. Lehigh will face Pittsburgh out of the Big East, and another MAC team in Toledo on Saturday before wrapping up the weekend against Georgetown.
“
The nice thing about going to a place like North Carolina State is that the teams they bring in for the tournament are all strong teams,” said Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan. Last year we went down to East Carolina and came back 0-5 but what it did for us was it helped us prepare for the rest of the year. It helped us sort out exactly what we needed to work on.”
The nice thing about going to a place like North Carolina State is that the teams they bring in for the tournament are all strong teams,” said Lehigh head coach Fran Troyan. Last year we went down to East Carolina and came back 0-5 but what it did for us was it helped us prepare for the rest of the year. It helped us sort out exactly what we needed to work on.” The following weekend, Lehigh will head to Kissimmee, Florida for its annual spring break trip to the Rebel Spring Games. The Mountain Hawks will play ten games in six days including two games against Indiana State, South Dakota and Detroit. Saint Francis (Pa.) is a new addition to the Florida schedule as the Red Flash and Mountain Hawks will face off on March 6. Lehigh will square off against its first NCAA regional participant on March 8 when the Mountain Hawks face defending Northeast Conference champion Sacred Heart. Manhattan and Yale were newcomers to Lehigh's spring break schedule a year ago and both teams are back in the mix to face the Mountain Hawks on March 9.
Lehigh will travel to Virginia for the three-team two day Radford Invitational March 17-18 where the Mountain Hawks will square off against Radford and Binghamton.
The Mountain Hawks' home opener is scheduled for Wednesday, March 21 when the Penn Quakers visit Kaufman Field for a doubleheader, which also kicks off an eight-game home stand for the Brown and White. Lehigh will host a three-team tournament March 24-25 as the Lehigh Equinox returns with the Mountain Hawks slated to play two games against both Niagara and Harvard. The Crimson are the defending Ivy League champions and will face Lehigh for the first time since 2007.
“We really are looking to challenge our team as much as we can,” Troyan explained. “We'll be challenged by our spring break opponents. Then, at the Radford Tournament both Binghamton and Radford are very strong programs. We're not going to be able to take any games off there. We've added Harvard to the mix for some home games along with Niagara. Harvard may be one of the top teams in the entire northeast, they have a lot of players back from a team was outstanding last year.
Troyan continued, “It will be a good test for us. The goal for these games is to get us ready for league play and if things do go well, to get us ready for postseason play as well.”
The home stand concludes on March 28 when the Fordham Rams visit Kaufman Field. Fordham captured the Atlantic 10 title last year and has made back-to-back NCAA regional appearances. The Rams boast one of the nation's top returning pitchers in All-American Jen Mineau.
The Fordham twinbill will also serve as Lehigh's final tune-up before Patriot League play begins with a four-game series against rival Lafayette in Easton, March 31 and April 1. Following a midweek trip to Rider for a doubleheader, the Mountain Hawks will host their first Patriot League series on April 7-8 as Bucknell comes to town for a matchup between the last two league tournament champions.
Following the Bucknell series, Lehigh his the road for six games, starting Wednesday April 11, when the Mountain Hawks take to the road to face perennial northeast power Hofstra in a doubleheader on Long Island; and then travel to Holy Cross for a four-game Patriot League series April 14-15.
Lehigh's final home stand of the regular season features a midweek twinbill with Princeton on April 18, before the Mountain Hawks host Colgate in a rematch of last year's Patriot League championship game, April 21-22. The Mountain Hawks will conclude the regular season with two games at Columbia on April 25 and four at Army April 28-29.
The Patriot League tournament will once again be played at the home field of the highest seed May 10-12.
“Colgate graduated maybe two players from last year so in our mind they're the top team going into things,” Troyan said. “We'll have our hands full with them, plus Army, Holy Cross and Bucknell are much improved and Lafayette, who had some good seasons a few years back, should be on the upswing as well.
Troyan concluded, “Overall we felt like this group deserved to be challenged as much as possible. This may be the most ambitious schedule we've ever put together.”
The Mountain Hawks will open the 2012 season on Friday, February 24 when they meet Kent State at the Wolfpack Challenge in Raleigh, N.C. First pitch for Lehigh's season-opening tilt is set for noon.
MHT EP 12 - Softball
Friday, March 13
2026 Lehigh Softball Season Preview
Thursday, February 05
Lehigh Sports Central: Softball
Wednesday, April 30
2025 Season Preview: Softball
Thursday, February 06
