Softball Unveils 2020 Schedule

Calendar

May 2

11:00 AM

Softball

at St. Bonaventure

St. Bonaventure, N.Y.

May 2

1:00 PM

Softball

at St. Bonaventure

St. Bonaventure, N.Y.

May 6

Softball

vs Atlantic 10

St. Louis, MO

Full Schedule

WASHINGTON - Seeking another Atlantic 10 title run, George Washington softball has a challenging slate on tap in 2020, highlighted by 29 games on the Mount Vernon Campus, head coach Shane Winkler announced Friday.

As previously revealed, GW begins the spring with a rigorous test at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Mexico. The Colonials open the new season Feb. 6 with a doubleheader vs. BYU and Utah Valley and later face Oregon, Long Beach State and 2019 national runner-up Oklahoma that weekend.

GW's regular season, featuring 33 non-conference and 23 A-10 contests, concludes May 3 at Dayton before the A-10 Championship on May 6-9 at Saint Louis.

The Colonials have eight student-athletes who made at least 55 starts last spring returning, led by 2019 A-10 Player of the Year Jenna Cone, as they look to build on a historic campaign in which they won 44 games, claimed a share of their first conference title and advanced to postseason play for the first time.

"Our 2020 schedule is going to test our veteran group throughout the entire season," Winkler said. "We had a lot of success last year, and we want to make sure we continue to face a schedule that will prepare us to compete for A-10 regular season and tournament championships."

"I can't think of a more exciting way to open the season than in Mexico against some of the top programs in the country. Not only will this be a tremendous experience for our student-athletes, but it's also an opportunity to make a name for our program, as well."

"The A-10 race was very tight last year, and I see it being the same this season. This challenging schedule will have us ready to compete day in and day out."

After playing five games over the three days in Mexico, GW will make a pair of trips to North Carolina for non-conference tournaments. From Feb. 14-16, the Colonials will be at East Carolina's Pirate Clash before they head to UNCW on Feb. 21-22 to face the host Seahawks, Eastern Kentucky and Brown.

GW then enjoys an extended homestand with 19 straight games on the Vern. Its home opener comes Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. vs. Towson as part of the Colonial Classic. Winkler's squad will also face Morgan State, Princeton and Georgetown on the weekend.

The Colonials then host Winthrop, Rider and Monmouth for the Buff and Blue Challenge (March 6-8) before midweek clashes with ACC foe Virginia Tech (March 10) and Bucknell (March 11).

They'll welcome Maryland Eastern Shore for a weekend set March 14-15 before opening A-10 play at home vs. Rhode Island on March 21-22. The run of home games finishes March 25 with a visit from the crosstown Howard Bison for an afternoon doubleheader.

To finish out its non-conference action, GW hosts Georgetown (April 1) and travels to a pair of Power Five opponents in Virginia (April 21) and Maryland (April 29).

In addition to the visit from Rhode Island, GW's A-10 slate features home series vs. Saint Joseph's (April 10-11) and Saint Bonaventure (April 18-19) before Senior Weekend vs. La Salle on April 25-26. The Buff and Blue will visit 2019 A-10 co-champion Fordham on April 4-5 and also make trips to Saint Louis (March 28-29), George Mason (April 15) and Dayton (May 2-3) in conference play.

The top six teams in the A-10 standings advance to the conference tournament, which will be held at Saint Louis' Billiken Sports Center. The winner earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.