St. John's University Athletics
Red Storm Softball Releases 2012 Schedule
12/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Dec. 12, 2011
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's Softball head coach Amy Kvilhaug announced the 2012 schedule on Monday, with a slate that includes matchups against five 2011 NCAA tournament teams and six of the eight BIG EAST tournament teams from a year ago.
"Every year we look to play a challenging non-conference schedule," Kvilhaug said. "Not only does it help to prepare us for our competitive BIG EAST conference schedule, it also challenges us to consistently raise and improve the level of our game."
The Red Storm will begin the sixth year of the Kvilhaug Era in Athens, Ga. at the University of Georgia Invitational (Feb. 10-12), matching up against NC State, Campbell and Utah State before a showdown with host and 2011 NCAA Super Regional qualifier, Georgia. St. John's will conclude the Georgia Invitational against Army.
"We can learn a great deal about ourselves and about the game by playing against elite level competition," Kvilhaug said. "It will be great to compete against some of the top conferences and teams in the country. Several of our opponents have extensive post-season experience so it should be exciting."
St. John's then heads to the Longwood Invitational Tournament (Feb. 18-19) in Longwood, Va. For four games before heading to ESPN's Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla. for 10 games in 10 days at the Citrus Classic (Feb. 24-26, March 4-6).
The team will wrap up its early-season tournament schedule with a trip to the Winthrop/Adidas Invitational (in Rock Hill, S.C. The Red Storm will match up against host Winthrop, UNCW, and Campbell for a second time before concluding the tournament with games against George Washington and Bowling Green.
The Red Storm return to New York City for a matchup with local rival and 2011 NCAA tournament participant Fordham on March 20, before the home opener on March 21 against inter-borough rival Manhattan at Red Storm Field.
After a pair of weekend matchups vs. Iona (March 24) and at Marist (March 25), the Red Storm opens BIG EAST play with a double-header March 28 in Providence, R.I. against Kvilhaug's alma mater, the Providence Friars.
"The BIG EAST is one of the top conferences in the country, sending at least four teams to the NCAA's each year," Kvilhaug said. "We like to break our season down into smaller parts, and league play is almost like another season within a season - essentially a second season of opportunity giving us a chance to compete to get to the conference tournament and beyond."
St. John's then opens the home portion of its BIG EAST schedule with a three-game visit from in-state rival and 2011 conference champion Syracuse, March 31- April 1.
Following a midweek double-header against Farleigh Dickinson on April 4, the Red Storm travels to Tampa, Fla. to take on the Bulls of USF April 6-7. St. John's then travels to Brooklyn to face LIU on April 11 before hosting the Georgetown Hoyas, April 14-15.
The Red Storm stays at home for their final non-conference matchup of the season on April 18 against Hofstra before concluding the regular season with four-straight BIG EAST series, beginning with Villanova, April 21-22.
"One of our main team goals this season is to get to the BIG EAST conference tournament, putting us in a position to compete for a championship and post-season play," Kvilhaug said. "After a two-year hiatus from conference tournament play, our student-athletes are hungry to return."
After a double-header against UConn on April 25, St. John's travels to Rutgers for three games April 28-29 before wrapping up the regular season May 5-6 against BIG EAST runner-up Louisville at Red Storm Field.
The 2012 BIG EAST Championship will be May 10-12 in South Bend, Ind, with NCAA Regionals May 18-20.
"The overall quality of our schedule gives our student-athletes the opportunity to learn, improve and compete at a high level," Kvilhaug said. "We are all actually pretty excited at the amount of home games this season against some of the top local talent. We look forward to fan support and the home field advantages of Red Storm Field."
For all of the latest news on the 2012 Red Storm Softball squad, log on to RedStormSports.com and follow the team (@STJ_Softball) on Twitter.
