Hofstra Softball Battle Tested for Start of Its Home and Conference Schedule

After a challenging first month of the season playing 18 games down south against some of the nation’s top softball programs, Hofstra head coach Bill Edwards said his team is very well prepared for a run at a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title and the start of its home schedule this weekend.

In addition to playing many top-notch teams, Hofstra was met with further challenges off the field to start the year including many flights and weather delays. Hofstra (10-8) capped its grueling first month of the season on the road winning four of five games at the Florida Atlantic Invitational over Middle Tennessee State, Michigan State, Purdue and Buffalo. The Pride’s early season non-conference slate also included impressive wins over Virginia and Florida State at the Seminole Kickoff Classic from Feb. 11-13.

“It was an exhausting tournament schedule to start the year off,” said Edwards, whose teams have traditionally opened the beginning of the season in warmer weather before starting the home schedule in late March. “They were very tiring and exhausting trips.”

In many cases Hofstra would play multiple games and have to be in the batting cages at 7:30 a.m. that day for a 9 a.m. first pitch and then stay around the ballpark all day to take the field for an early evening contest. The Pride also often arrived back from road trips at 3 a.m.

Edwards said the hectic schedule the Pride faced on the road in February and early March will come in handy this weekend when Hofstra plays doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday in the Hyatt Place Invitational, but will have the luxury of being at home minus the travel headaches. When the CAA schedule begins on March 26 at Drexel, Hofstra will play just one doubleheader on Saturdays and one game on Sunday, a far cry from the multiple games at different hours the Pride were faced with in the four tournaments down south.

“Playing conference games for us will seem like a piece of cake because it’s a doubleheader and were out of there and then its one game and we’re out of there,” joked Edwards of the much more manageable schedule his squad will face in CAA play. “This weekend were home so we’re going to play two games on Saturday and two games on Sunday and it is going to seem like we didn’t even play because of what we went through.” 

Hofstra’s home opener is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. in the opening game of the Hyatt Place Invitational. The Pride will then face Connecticut with a scheduled 12:30 p.m. first pitch.