Lehigh University Athletics
Challenging slate awaits Lehigh softball in 2017
12/8/2016 4:15:00 PM | Softball
2017 Lehigh Softball Schedule
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Head coach Fran Troyan has unveiled an incredibly challenging 2017 schedule for the Lehigh softball team on Thursday. Four early season tournaments and 13 games against teams that qualified for the 2016 NCAA Tournament last season await the Mountain Hawks, who won their fifth straight Patriot League regular season crown a season ago and are gunning for a second Patriot League tournament title in three seasons.
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"I feel like this is certainly the most ambitious schedule we have put together in the history of the program, said Troyan, who is in his 22nd season. "We're honestly looking to challenge ourselves as much as we can. The balance is challenging ourselves, while not beating up ourselves too much so that we lose confidence.
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"A lot of how we manage playing these teams regardless of the actual result is going to be critical because what we want to do is make sure we're ready to play come Patriot League play," Troyan continued. "The fact of the matter is that the level of play in the Patriot League has really increased over the last few years so we felt like we needed to really challenge ourselves."
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In addition to traditional early-season trips to Florida and North Carolina, Lehigh heads to California for 12 games over spring break. The Mountain Hawks last ventured out west in 2014 when the current seniors were freshmen. That trip focused on Southern California, while this year's trip will see Lehigh stationed in and around the Bay Area. Prior to 2014, Lehigh's only other early-season trip to California was in 1998.
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The 2017 campaign will begin with five games at the Citrus Classic in Orlando, Fla. Feb. 24-26. The Mountain Hawks will open with Morgan State and Ball State on their opening day of the season before taking on Georgia Southern and Syracuse on day two. Play at the Citrus Classic ends with a Feb. 26 game against perennial Women's College World Series participant Florida. The Gators were the No. 1 seed in last year's tournament and reached the Super Regional round. Lehigh and Florida met once previously in the finals of the 2009 Gainesville Regional.
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Lehigh's second weekend of the season will send the Mountain Hawks to Raleigh, N.C. for the Homewood Suites by Hilton RDU/RTP Invitational, hosted by North Carolina State March 3-5. The Mountain Hawks will play single games against defending Atlantic 10 champion Fordham, plus Rutgers and the host Wolfpack plus two more games that will be determined by the tournament standings.
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The spring break trip to Northern California features 12 games in nine days across four cities. The trip begins with five games at Stanford's Easton Classic, March 10-12. Lehigh will face Cal Poly, Grand Canyon and Connecticut plus the Mountain Hawks will play two games against the host Stanford Cardinal. The Mountain Hawks met Stanford once before, a 4-0 Cardinal win in the opening game of the 2008 Amherst Regional.
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Following the Louisville Slugger Classic, Lehigh will take on another strong Pac-12 program when the Mountain Hawks play a single game at California on March 14. The following day Lehigh will head to Stockton, Calif. to take on Massachusetts and Pacific. The Mountain Hawks' trip will conclude at the Santa Clara Round Robin, March 17-18 as Lehigh will face NCAA Tournament participants Northwestern and Long Beach State in addition to Grand Canyon and the host Broncos.
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"We feel like we need to have a presence in California with the number of players (from California) we have in the program," Troyan said. "The university is making a commitment to bring in more California students as well and we feel like it's a trip that players deserve to have and we feel like we're going to be playing good competition as well."
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Lehigh's pre-league slate features seven first time opponents.
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Upon returning from spring break, Lehigh will play its first midweek doubleheader at Delaware on March 22, before opening its home schedule and Patriot League play with three games against defending tournament champion Boston University March 25-26. Patriot League play will once again consist of three game series with doubleheaders on Saturdays followed by a single game on Sundays.
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The league and home-opening series will be followed by a March 28 doubleheader against regional foe Penn. The Mountain Hawks will then head to Easton for the rivalry series at Lafayette, Apr. 1-2, before returning to Leadership Park for a seven-game home stand that features doubleheaders with Saint Joseph's (Apr. 5) and Fordham (Apr. 12) and a three-game league series with Bucknell (Apr. 8-9).
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A five-game road trip, Lehigh's longest stretch of games away from home post-spring break, sends the Mountain Hawks to Holy Cross for three games Apr. 15-16 and then on to Princeton for a doubleheader against the defending Ivy League champions, coached by former Lehigh standout Lisa (Sweeney) Van Ackeren '09 on Apr. 19.
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Lehigh's bye week in league play comes on Apr. 22 so instead the Mountain Hawks will host Albany for a doubleheader. Following a trip to Villanova on April 26, Lehigh will play its final home league series against Army West Point on Apr. 29-30.
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The Mountain Hawks will close out their home regular season slate with a doubleheader against perennial regional power Hofstra on May 3, before closing out the regular season with three games at Colgate May 6-7.
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"We want to make sure that any momentum that we gain from our early season tournaments and league games that we're able to kind of maintain that," Troyan explained. "The fact of the matter is the teams that we have historically played happen to be really good softball clubs right now. Looking at the schedule, there are no easy games on the entire schedule."
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The Patriot League Tournament will once again take place on the home field of the top seed, with games slated for May 11-13.
Â
Lehigh posted a 36-16 mark in 2016 and returns four of its seven All-Patriot League performers from a season ago in seniors Christine Campbell and Vicky Lattanzio and juniors Katie Schultz and Carolyn Wright.
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The Mountain Hawks will begin preseason practice when Lehigh's spring semester begins in mid-January. Lehigh will open 2017 at the Citrus Classic in Florida with games against Morgan State (11 a.m.) and Ball State (3:30 p.m.) on Friday, Feb. 24.
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Head coach Fran Troyan has unveiled an incredibly challenging 2017 schedule for the Lehigh softball team on Thursday. Four early season tournaments and 13 games against teams that qualified for the 2016 NCAA Tournament last season await the Mountain Hawks, who won their fifth straight Patriot League regular season crown a season ago and are gunning for a second Patriot League tournament title in three seasons.
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"I feel like this is certainly the most ambitious schedule we have put together in the history of the program, said Troyan, who is in his 22nd season. "We're honestly looking to challenge ourselves as much as we can. The balance is challenging ourselves, while not beating up ourselves too much so that we lose confidence.
Â
"A lot of how we manage playing these teams regardless of the actual result is going to be critical because what we want to do is make sure we're ready to play come Patriot League play," Troyan continued. "The fact of the matter is that the level of play in the Patriot League has really increased over the last few years so we felt like we needed to really challenge ourselves."
Â
In addition to traditional early-season trips to Florida and North Carolina, Lehigh heads to California for 12 games over spring break. The Mountain Hawks last ventured out west in 2014 when the current seniors were freshmen. That trip focused on Southern California, while this year's trip will see Lehigh stationed in and around the Bay Area. Prior to 2014, Lehigh's only other early-season trip to California was in 1998.
Â
The 2017 campaign will begin with five games at the Citrus Classic in Orlando, Fla. Feb. 24-26. The Mountain Hawks will open with Morgan State and Ball State on their opening day of the season before taking on Georgia Southern and Syracuse on day two. Play at the Citrus Classic ends with a Feb. 26 game against perennial Women's College World Series participant Florida. The Gators were the No. 1 seed in last year's tournament and reached the Super Regional round. Lehigh and Florida met once previously in the finals of the 2009 Gainesville Regional.
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Lehigh's second weekend of the season will send the Mountain Hawks to Raleigh, N.C. for the Homewood Suites by Hilton RDU/RTP Invitational, hosted by North Carolina State March 3-5. The Mountain Hawks will play single games against defending Atlantic 10 champion Fordham, plus Rutgers and the host Wolfpack plus two more games that will be determined by the tournament standings.
Â
The spring break trip to Northern California features 12 games in nine days across four cities. The trip begins with five games at Stanford's Easton Classic, March 10-12. Lehigh will face Cal Poly, Grand Canyon and Connecticut plus the Mountain Hawks will play two games against the host Stanford Cardinal. The Mountain Hawks met Stanford once before, a 4-0 Cardinal win in the opening game of the 2008 Amherst Regional.
Â
Following the Louisville Slugger Classic, Lehigh will take on another strong Pac-12 program when the Mountain Hawks play a single game at California on March 14. The following day Lehigh will head to Stockton, Calif. to take on Massachusetts and Pacific. The Mountain Hawks' trip will conclude at the Santa Clara Round Robin, March 17-18 as Lehigh will face NCAA Tournament participants Northwestern and Long Beach State in addition to Grand Canyon and the host Broncos.
Â
"We feel like we need to have a presence in California with the number of players (from California) we have in the program," Troyan said. "The university is making a commitment to bring in more California students as well and we feel like it's a trip that players deserve to have and we feel like we're going to be playing good competition as well."
Â
Lehigh's pre-league slate features seven first time opponents.
Â
Upon returning from spring break, Lehigh will play its first midweek doubleheader at Delaware on March 22, before opening its home schedule and Patriot League play with three games against defending tournament champion Boston University March 25-26. Patriot League play will once again consist of three game series with doubleheaders on Saturdays followed by a single game on Sundays.
Â
The league and home-opening series will be followed by a March 28 doubleheader against regional foe Penn. The Mountain Hawks will then head to Easton for the rivalry series at Lafayette, Apr. 1-2, before returning to Leadership Park for a seven-game home stand that features doubleheaders with Saint Joseph's (Apr. 5) and Fordham (Apr. 12) and a three-game league series with Bucknell (Apr. 8-9).
Â
A five-game road trip, Lehigh's longest stretch of games away from home post-spring break, sends the Mountain Hawks to Holy Cross for three games Apr. 15-16 and then on to Princeton for a doubleheader against the defending Ivy League champions, coached by former Lehigh standout Lisa (Sweeney) Van Ackeren '09 on Apr. 19.
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Lehigh's bye week in league play comes on Apr. 22 so instead the Mountain Hawks will host Albany for a doubleheader. Following a trip to Villanova on April 26, Lehigh will play its final home league series against Army West Point on Apr. 29-30.
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The Mountain Hawks will close out their home regular season slate with a doubleheader against perennial regional power Hofstra on May 3, before closing out the regular season with three games at Colgate May 6-7.
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"We want to make sure that any momentum that we gain from our early season tournaments and league games that we're able to kind of maintain that," Troyan explained. "The fact of the matter is the teams that we have historically played happen to be really good softball clubs right now. Looking at the schedule, there are no easy games on the entire schedule."
Â
The Patriot League Tournament will once again take place on the home field of the top seed, with games slated for May 11-13.
Â
Lehigh posted a 36-16 mark in 2016 and returns four of its seven All-Patriot League performers from a season ago in seniors Christine Campbell and Vicky Lattanzio and juniors Katie Schultz and Carolyn Wright.
Â
The Mountain Hawks will begin preseason practice when Lehigh's spring semester begins in mid-January. Lehigh will open 2017 at the Citrus Classic in Florida with games against Morgan State (11 a.m.) and Ball State (3:30 p.m.) on Friday, Feb. 24.
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