BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Campbell softball head coach Drew Peterson recently announced his team's 2010 schedule. The schedule includes three regular season tournaments, six games against 2009 NCAA Tournament qualifiers and a total of 26 home games at the Eakes Athletic Complex.
"We are in the process of taking the next step in fulfilling our program objectives by "ratcheting up" our non-conference schedule," Peterson explained. "Obviously we desire to play softball at the highest level of NCAA D1 competition, and this matches the desires of our student-athletes and recruits. We feel in order for us to get where we are trying to go we need to regularly play the universities we will be facing in the NCAA tournament, and this schedule is our initial move in that direction. It is my intention and desire to continue to have a schedule filled with SEC, ACC, PAC 10 and Big 12 opponents, along with the perennially elite programs in the conferences surrounding North Carolina. Lord willing, this will help us stay atop the conference we participate in, bring that conference more notoriety and help prepare us to go deeper into the NCAA tournament in the years to come."
The Camels will start the season at home this year with back-to-back non-conference doubleheaders against UNC Wilmington on Feb. 11 and Longwood on Feb. 13.
CU then hits the road to participate in the Gator Invitational with five games from Feb. 19-20. Campbell is joined in the tournament in Gainesville, Fla. by East Carolina, Florida, Marshall and Kansas. Florida played for the College World Series title last season against Washington, while the rest of the field is composed of teams that regularly contend for spots in the NCAA Tournament.
Campbell continues the road trip and plays against South Carolina on Feb. 23, before making a stop in Charleston, S.C. to take on College of Charleston for two games on Feb. 27.
The Camels will have a quick return home to the Eakes Athletic Complex on March 2 with a pair of games against St. Bonaventure, before playing in their second tournament of the season.
The LSU Tournament in Baton Rouge, La. features an impressive field with Campbell slated to take on Evansville and LSU on March 5, South Alabama and Syracuse on March 6 and Evansville again on March 7.
Another two games at home follow with CU taking on in-state rival N.C. State in a doubleheader on March 10. The trip for the Wolfpack is the first since 2007.
The Tennessee Tournament is the next challenge on the docket for the Camels from March 13-14 in Knoxville, Tenn. The tournament field includes Liberty, Tennessee and Tennessee Tech.
CU then returns home for two games against Hampton on March 16, before going on the road and playing doubleheaders against Winston Salem State (March 19) and North Carolina Central (March 20).
The Camels will return home for a pair of games on March 23 against Charleston Southern, before beginning conference play and defense of the regular season and conference tournament title the team earned last season.
Campbell starts Atlantic Sun play on the road in Georgia with doubleheaders against Kennesaw State (March 26) and Mercer (March 27).
CU continues the road swing, but gets out of league play, for a pair of games against North Carolina in Chapel Hill on March 31. The Tar Heels and Camels have locked up in postseason play in each of the last seasons.
Campbell then makes the jaunt down to state of Florida for the second time this season with conference doubleheaders against both Florida Gulf Coast (April 8) and Stetson (April 10).
CU returns home to play 14 of the final 16 regular season games at the Eakes Athletic Complex from April 14-May 8.
Non-conference in-state rival Elon comes visiting for a pair of games on April 14.
The Camels will then have a conference doubleheader weekend with two games each against North Florida (April 16) and Jacksonville (April 17).
East Tennessee State comes to Buies Creek for two games on April 22. Lipscomb arrives on April 24 for two conference games against CU.
The Camels will then briefly get out of league play and away from home with a doubleheader against Charleston Southern in Charleston, S.C. on April 27.
CU will finish the regular season hosting conference double dips against Belmont (May 1) and USC Upstate (May 8). This is the first year the USC Upstate will be eligible for the conference tournament after completing their transition up from Division II in softball.
The 2010 Atlantic Sun Championship will be held at Stetson's Patricia Wilson Softball Field from May 11-15. NCAA Tournament play starts on campus sites May 20 and concludes with the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla. June 1-9.
The schools on this year's schedule that earned invites to the 2009 NCAA Tournament are Florida, LSU, Tennessee and North Carolina.
The two-time defending Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Champion Camels finished the 2009 campaign with a 38-16 record and a 16-4 mark in Atlantic Sun Conference play. CU is looking for their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament after sweeping both the regular season and conference tournament titles in the A-Sun last season and winning the conference tournament title in 2008. The Camels are coming off a season in which the team broke the home run mark for the second time in as many seasons with 81 home runs. The team also set a school record for on-base percentage (.383), slugging (.508) and tied the fielding mark (.966). Individually, Brittany Stanley was named the Atlantic Sun's Pitcher of the Year and Tournament MVP. The Tournament MVP was the second time in as many years that she has walked away with the hardware. The Camels also have five returning players that were named to Atlantic Sun All-Conference teams last season in Stanley, Robin Leathers, Amanda Miller, Taylor McGee and Christina Melton. Head Coach Drew Peterson was named the 2009 Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year and broke the Campbell career softball victory mark. He has now won 268 games in his Campbell career and 551 games overall.
The Campbell softball team will be honored at halftime of the CU football game against Morehead State on Oct. 31 with the presentation of the 2009 Atlantic Sun Championship Rings.
Courtesy: GoCamels.com