The 2020 schedule for the Gophers softball team is out and it’s full of big-time opponents.
The same was said for last year’s team that reached the Women’s College World Series, as they had the most difficult non-conference strength of schedule in the country in 2019.
The 2020 schedule includes 27 games against teams that reached last year’s NCAA Tournament, including seven against clubs that advanced to the Super Regional and two against teams that made it to the Women’s College World Series.
Yes, UCLA, the team that knocked Minnesota out of the WCWS, is on the schedule during a Long Beach, California, tournament March 6-8.
“We are excited about the balance and level of competition our entire 2020 schedule presents,” head coach Jamie Trachsel said in a release. “We look forward to the challenge of our preseason opponents and the schedule presented by our Big Ten conference.
“There’s no doubt this schedule will prepare us for what it takes to not just compete for championships, but to win in postseason at home or on the road. We look forward to the opportunities in front of us as we grow stronger together as a team and as we go hunt the dreams of the 2019-2020 Minnesota softball team.”
The opponents that reached the Super Regional or WCWS last season include:
- Kentucky (Feb. 9)
- Oklahoma State (Feb. 14)
- Florida State (Feb. 14)
- UCLA (Mar. 7)
- Northwestern (May 1-3)
Oklahoma State and UCLA reached the WCWS, with
The season begins Feb. 7 against North Carolina State at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida.
