VILLANOVA, Pa. – The reigning BIG EAST runners up will begin the quest to win their third conference title in four years on February 8, as head coach Bridget Orchard announced the 2024 spring schedule for the Villanova softball team this afternoon.
It's yet another brutal non-conference schedule for the Wildcats, who will square off against 14 teams who finished in the top 100 of the RPI last season, headlined by Super Regional competitor Duke (10), College World Series participant Alabama (13) and Regional contestants Louisville (37), Missouri (38), Boston University (39) and George Mason (Atlantic 10 champion).
The season begins in Atlanta, taking a trip down to Georgia Tech for the loaded Buzz Classic with the season opener against Alabama before two matchups each against Longwood and the host Yellow Jackets.
The month of February will be rounded out with two games against George Mason and James Madison plus a solo versus Lehigh at the Weiler Orthodontics Invitational hosted by JMU from Feb. 16-18, followed by the Duke Invitational including Boston University, Elon, Michigan State and two bouts with the Blue Devils.
Villanova wraps up the preseason slate at the South Florida Tournament, spending the first days of March in Tampa with contests against Central Michigan, Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia Southern, Louisville and USF on tap.
The Wildcats begin conference play at home this year, taking on the reigning BIG EAST champion Seton Hall Pirates from March 8-10 at the Villanova Softball Complex. Next up is a trip north, heading to Providence in the second week of league play.
Midweek play begins the next week as Saint Joseph's makes their way down the Main Line for a Wednesday contest before the 'Cats host Georgetown for a three-game series at the weekend.
The BIG EAST bye week will still be active, with the Wildcats visiting Drexel on Wednesday, March 27, before an Easter weekend tournament in Villanova against Virginia (twice) and Missouri.
Throughout April, Villanova plays three non-league games around the BIG EAST weekends, traveling to Penn and hosting both Delaware and Lehigh.
Home conference opponents the rest of the way include St. John's (April 12-14) and Butler (May 3-5, regular season finale), while VU will travel twice to the Central time zone for a series each against Creighton (April 5-7) and DePaul (April 19-21), and the final league road weekend comes at UConn (April 26-28).
This year's BIG EAST Championship will be hosted by Providence from May 8-11. The NCAA Tournament begins with regionals from May 16-19 before Super Regionals (May 23-26), and the Women's College World Series kicks off in Oklahoma City on May 30.
This Year's Opponents in Top 100 of 2023 Final RPI
Duke (10)
Alabama (13)
Louisville (37)
Missouri (38)
Boston U. (39)
Virginia (59)
Longwood (60)
Georgia Tech (66)
Lehigh (72)
South Florida (73)
Florida Gulf Coast (75)
Connecticut (78)
James Madison (87)
Seton Hall (93)
BIG EAST Teams by 2023 Final RPI
Villanova (69)
Connecticut (78)
Seton Hall (93)
St. John's (183)
DePaul (200)
Butler (208)
Georgetown (226)
Creighton (235)
Providence (252)
