Texas Tech Announces 2017 Softball Schedule

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech softball head coach Adrian Gregory announced Monday the full 54-game schedule for the 2017 softball season.

The Red Raiders will host a total of 18 games at Rocky Johnson Field in Gregory's third season, including a pair of home tournaments and three Big 12 Conference series against Kansas, Texas and defending national champion Oklahoma.

Prior to conference play, the Red Raiders will face a challenging nonconference slate that features eight games against NCAA Regional teams from 2016 such as Cal-State Fullerton, Fresno State, California, Wichita State and Tulsa and a pair against Alabama, who advanced to the 2016 Women's College World Series.

"Our schedule is another ambitious quest to be great," Gregory said. "I believe that you can only be the best if you prepare like you are the best and you compete with the best. I felt that last year we played competitively with many of the top programs in the country, but just were not able to close down the stretch. It was our goal this year to continue to schedule competitively and be determined to finish! Our kids our extremely excited to face the competition we have on our schedule this year."

Texas Tech will get a tough test right away as it opens the season Feb. 10 at the Century Link Classic at Texas State in San Marcos, Texas, where the Red Raiders take on host Texas State, an NCAA Regional team in 2016. Tech will also face Iowa, Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Abilene Christian during the three-day event.

The team's next trip will make program history as the Red Raiders travel outside of the country for the first time in 25 seasons of existence to compete at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge Feb. 16-19. The Red Raiders, who last left the continental United States in 2008 for a tournament in Hawai'i, will have three games against 2016 NCAA Regional foes in Cal State Fullerton and Fresno State, while also taking on Mississippi State and Florida Gulf Coast.

"The most exciting trip will be that of the one in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico," Gregory stated. "Our administration has been so supportive of us taking this trip and allowing our kids to have an amazing cultural experience. We will face great talent there as well, so it is a win-win for all of us in the Red and Black! It will also serve as a homecoming for our senior pitcher, Dominique Alcocer. It will be an incredible experience for her family and friends!"

Tech will also make tournament stops at Alabama from Feb. 24-26, Tulsa from Mar. 10-12 and on the back end of the schedule at Colorado State from May 6-7.

The Red Raiders open their home slate Mar. 3 against UTEP at the Texas Tech Invitational, one of two home tournaments that will be played at Rocky Johnson Field. Also included in the field of the three-day event are Wichita State and North Texas. Tech later welcomes East Carolina and St. Francis for the seventh-annual Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic Mar. 17-18.

Tech opens Big 12 play with back-to-back road series as it travels to Iowa State Mar. 24-26 before heading to Baylor for a three-game series beginning Mar. 31. The Red Raiders return home for a midweek tilt against Abilene Christian before hosting its first Big 12 home series against Kansas Apr. 7-9.

The Red Raiders remain at home the following week as they welcome Texas to Lubbock Apr. 13-15 before traveling to Stillwater to take on Oklahoma State Apr. 21-23. The final home series will occur Apr. 28-30 when the Red Raiders host defending national champion Oklahoma. Tech completes its schedule with a doubleheader at UTSA May 3 before heading to Fort Collins, Co., for the Colorado State Classic May 6-7.

The Big 12 Softball Championship returns for the first time since 2010 and will be played at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City on May 12-13.

Texas Tech Announces 2017 Softball Schedule

Players Mentioned

Dominique Alcocer

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