Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

2017 Irish To Face Top Shelf, Landmark Schedule

Dec. 13, 2016

by Tony Jones

HTML SCHEDULE | PRINTABLE SCHEDULE | ECAL | FULL INFOGRAPHIC


NOTRE DAME, Ind.
– A challenging and historic slate awaits the University of Notre Dame softball team with the final 2017 Irish schedule now official. Everything told, Notre Dame is set to face 15 NCAA Regional qualifiers from 2016, including six Super Regional participants and a program record five competitors from last season’s Women’s College World Series, during its upcoming campaign.

For the first time since 2010, and the seventh time in its history, Notre Dame will face the defending national champion when it squares off with Oklahoma on Feb. 25 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, California. Other 2016 World Series foes on the upcoming Irish schedule include UCLA (Feb. 12, Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament, Los Angeles); Michigan (Feb. 18-19, ACC/Big Ten Challenge, Raleigh, North Carolina); Georgia (Feb. 24, Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Cathedral City); and Florida State (March 17-19, ACC series, Tallahassee, Florida).

Additional returning NCAA postseason participants on the 2017 Notre Dame slate are led by 2016 Super Regional qualifier Missouri (Feb. 23, Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Cathedral City), along with regional competitors Weber State (Feb. 10, Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament, Long Beach, California); Long Beach State (Feb. 10, Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament, Long Beach); Minnesota (Feb. 17-18, ACC/Big Ten Challenge, Raleigh); Texas (Feb. 23, Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Cathedral City); Arizona State (Feb. 24, Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Cathedral City); Louisville (April 1-3, ACC series, Louisville, Kentucky); North Carolina (April 7-9, ACC series, Notre Dame); Northwestern (April 25, midweek nonconference game, Evanston, Illinois); and Butler (May 3, midweek nonconference game, Notre Dame).

Notre Dame made its 18th consecutive appearance, and earned its 21st overall bid in 28 seasons of varsity competition, in the NCAA Championship in 2016, reaching its 10th ever regional final and finishing the season with a 43-13 record at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional. The Irish placed third in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) regular-season standings with a 13-7 league mark in their third campaign in the conference, ultimately reaching the final game of the ACC Championship tournament in Raleigh against eventual Women’s College World Series qualifier Florida State.

Notre Dame spent over 120 days ranked in the national top 25 polls during the 2016 season, one of the longest stretches in program history. The Irish also surpassed the 40-win plateau for the 18th time in their history, a watermark attained in 12 of the last 15 seasons since Deanna Gumpf became the program’s head coach in 2002. The 2016 Notre Dame offense established a team record with 346 RBI in 56 games, finishing with a team batting average over .340 for the third straight season and just the fourth time in 28 years. The Irish batted .347 to place fourth in NCAA Division I softball, their third national top six placement in average in as many years.

A total of 13 Monogram winners are expected to return to the Notre Dame fold in 2017, including 2016 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) third team All-American Karley Wester; NFCA all-region first team selections Caitlyn Brooks, Melissa Rochford and Ali Wester; NFCA all-region second team choice Morgan Reed; NFCA all-region third team representative Bailey Bigler; and 2016 ACC Academic Team selections Rachel Nasland and Kimmy Sullivan.

For the latest news and updates on all things Notre Dame softball, visit www.und.com/softball, follow the Irish @NDsoftball and @NDcoachGumpf on Twitter and at Instagram.com/notredamesoftball, and Like the team at Facebook.com/NDSoftball.

2017 Notre Dame Softball Schedule

STACY WINSBERG MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
LBSU Softball Complex/Easton Stadium – Long Beach, California/Los Angeles, California
Feb. 10-12
Weber State – 2016 Record: 37-19 / NCAA Regional Qualifier
Long Beach State – 2016 Record: 33-22 / NCAA Regional Qualifier
South Dakota – 2016 Record: 15-38
San Diego State – 2016 Record: 30-22
UCLA – 2016 Record: 40-16-1 / NCAA Women’s College World Series Qualifier

ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE
Dail Stadium – Raleigh, North Carolina
Feb. 17-19
Minnesota – 2016 Record: 43-14 / NCAA Regional Qualifier
Michigan – 2016 Record: 52-7 / NCAA Women’s College World Series Qualifier

MARY NUTTER COLLEGIATE CLASSIC
Big League Dreams Sports Complex – Cathedral City, California
Feb. 23-25
Texas – 2016 Record: 38-16 / NCAA Regional Qualifier
Missouri – 2016 Record: 42-16 / NCAA Super Regional Qualifier
Arizona State – 2016 Record: 32-26 / NCAA Regional Qualifier
Georgia – 2016 Record: 46-20 / NCAA Women’s College World Series Qualifier
Oklahoma – 2016 Record: 57-8 / NCAA Women’s College World Series Champion

DIAMOND 9 CITRUS CLASSIC
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex – Kissimmee, Florida
March 4-5
Purdue – 2016 Record: 27-28
FIU – 2016 Record: 29-27
Chattanooga – 2016 Record: 30-29
Charlotte – 2016 Record: 32-23

at Georgia Tech (ACC)
Mewborn Field – Atlanta, Georgia
March 11-12
2016 Record: 22-33

at Georgia State
Heck Softball Complex – Atlanta, Georgia
March 14
2016 Record: 33-28

at Mercer
Sikes Field – Macon, Georgia
March 15
2016 Record: 23-35

at Florida State (ACC)
JoAnne Graf Field – Tallahassee, Florida
March 17-19
2016 Record: 55-10 / NCAA Women’s College World Series Qualifier

Michigan State
Melissa Cook Stadium – Notre Dame, Indiana
March 22
2016 Record: 27-28

Virginia Tech (ACC)
Melissa Cook Stadium – Notre Dame, Indiana
March 24-26
2016 Record: 29-28

Eastern Michigan
Melissa Cook Stadium – Notre Dame, Indiana
March 29
2016 Record: 19-32

at Louisville (ACC)
Ulmer Stadium – Louisville, Kentucky
April 1-3
2016 Record: 35-17 / NCAA Regional Qualifier

Fort Wayne
Melissa Cook Stadium – Notre Dame, Indiana
April 5
2016 Record: 11-40

North Carolina (ACC)
Melissa Cook Stadium – Notre Dame, Indiana
April 7-9
2016 Record: 32-25 / NCAA Regional Qualifier

Detroit Mercy
Melissa Cook Stadium – Notre Dame, Indiana
April 11
2016 Record: 17-39

IUPUI
Melissa Cook Stadium – Notre Dame, Indiana
April 12
2016 Record: 20-35

at NC State (ACC)
Dail Stadium – Raleigh, North Carolina
April 14-15
2016 Record: 23-33

Western Michigan
Melissa Cook Stadium – Notre Dame, Indiana
April 19
2016 Record: 22-28

Virginia (ACC)
Melissa Cook Stadium – Notre Dame, Indiana
April 21-23
2016 Record: 18-33

at Northwestern
Drysdale Field – Evanston, Illinois
April 25
2016 Record: 27-28 / NCAA Regional Qualifier

Arkansas (Strikeout Cancer Weekend)
Melissa Cook Stadium – Notre Dame, Indiana
April 29-30
2016 Record: 17-39

Butler
Melissa Cook Stadium – Notre Dame, Indiana
May 3
2016 Record: 28-24 / NCAA Regional Qualifier

Boston College (ACC)
Melissa Cook Stadium – Notre Dame, Indiana
May 5-7
2016 Record: 30-23

ACC Softball Championship
Anderson Stadium – Chapel Hill, North Carolina
May 11-13
Defending Champion: Florida State

NCAA Regionals (campus sites)
May 19-21

NCAA Super Regionals (campus sites)
May 25-28

NCAA Women’s College World Series
ASA Hall of Fame Stadium / Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
June 1-7
Defending Champion: Oklahoma

–ND–

Tony Jones, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2012 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame softball and men’s soccer programs. A native of Jamestown, New York, Jones is a 2011 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, and prior to arriving at Notre Dame held positions at the University of Louisiana Monroe and with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.