Softball Announces 2018 Schedule

MUNCIE, Ind. - - With 10 games versus NCAA regional participants, including a Feb. 16 contest versus defending national champion Oklahoma, Ball State softball head coach Megan Ciolli Bartlett has put together another challenging schedule for the Cardinals in 2018.

It all begins Feb. 9-11, when the Cardinals open play in the FGCU Kickoff Classic sponsored by Four Points Sheraton. The following weekend looks to be the toughest pre-conference test for Ball State, as the team travels to the New Mexico State Tournament (Feb. 16-17) to battle defending national champion Oklahoma and play two games versus NCAA regional participant New Mexico State.

After playing at the Pirate Invitational (Feb. 23-25) hosted by East Carolina, the Cardinals head on their annual spring break trip to compete in the Citrus Classic at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (March 2-4), in a pair of games at UCF (March 6) and in the FAU Parents' Weekend Tournament (March 8-10).

The Cardinals close pre-conference tournament play March 16-17 at the Belmont Tournament.

Ball State plays its first game in the state of Indiana March 21, when it travels down I-69 to Indianapolis for a 4 p.m. first pitch versus Butler.

Like the past two seasons, the 2018 Mid-American Conference schedule sees teams play seven three-game weekend series with a single game Friday and a doubleheader Saturday. Teams also play their former travel partner in a three-game mid-week series which features a doubleheader one week and a single game in another.

Ball State hosts Kent State (April 6-7), Western Michigan (April 13-14) and Central Michigan (April 20-21) in conference weekend action, while traveling to Bowling Green (March 23-24), Akron (March 30-31), Eastern Michigan (April 27-28) and Toledo (May 4-5).

Ball State's split series will be versus Northern Illinois, with the team hosting the Huskies for an April 3 doubleheader and traveling to DeKalb for a single game April 11.

The 2018 MAC Softball Tournament returns to Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio, this season and runs May 9-12. The winner of the tournament earns the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Championship which starts with regional action May 18-20 on 16 campus sites.

For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSoftball.

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