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Jeff Huehn/UTSA Athletics
Softball

Roadrunners unveil 2017 softball schedule on Wednesday

SAN ANTONIO — Twenty-two home games, including the annual UTSA Classic and matchups with Texas and Texas Tech, highlight the 2017 UTSA softball schedule that was unveiled by fourth-year head coach Michelle Cheatham on Wednesday.

"We are looking forward to a challenging schedule this year," Cheatham said. "With several top regional opponents, this schedule will help us improve throughout the season and prepare us for our Conference USA opponents and the postseason."

In all, the schedule will see the Roadrunners play 10 games against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament a season ago along with seven matchups against Big 12 Conference programs.

UTSA will open its 26th season of play on Feb. 11-12 when it will travel west for a three-game series at New Mexico State. Following the set, the Roadrunners will go to Waco for the annual Getterman Classic (Feb. 16-19) where it will face host Baylor twice along with single games against Lamar and Grand Canyon.

A Feb. 22 doubleheader at Sam Houston State will close the nine-game road trip to start the season before the team returns to Roadrunner Field for the UTSA Classic (Feb. 24-26). The Roadrunners will face New Mexico and Incarnate Word twice in the event, which is highlighted by a 5:30 p.m. matchup on Feb. 25 against I-35 rival Texas State.

Following a home game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (March 1), UTSA will head back on the road for its final non-conference tournament at the Texas A&M Invitational (March 3-5). The Roadrunners will take on Prairie View A&M and host Texas A&M twice along with a contest against Georgetown.

The tournament will open a stretch of 10 consecutive games away from home that also includes UTSA's first matchup with Texas (March 8) at Red & Charline McCombs Field in Austin, a three-game set at Marshall (March 11-12) to open C-USA play and the team's third meeting with Baylor (March 14) in Waco.

The Roadrunners return home for a three-game series against UAB (March 17-18) before a contest at Lamar (March 21) and a C-USA set at North Texas.

UTSA then will start an eight-game home stand at 6 p.m. on March 29 when Texas visits Roadrunner Field for the second consecutive season. The home stand will continue with tilts against UTEP (April 1-2), Houston Baptist (April 4) and FIU (April 8-9).

The squad's remaining road games include a pair of league series against Southern Miss (April 14-15) and defending C-USA Champion Florida Atlantic (April 29-30) along with single games at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (April 18) and Texas State (April 26).

The home slate concludes with a C-USA set against Louisiana Tech (April 22-23) and the Roadrunners will close the regular season by hosting Texas Tech for a double header on May 3.

The top eight teams in the league will meet May 10-13 in Hattiesburg, Miss., for the 2017 C-USA Softball Tournament.