Softball Announces 2023 Spring Schedule
12/6/2022 2:06:00 PM | Softball
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State softball's 2023 schedule was announced by first year head coach Sharonda McDonald-Kelley on Tuesday. In non-conference action, MSU will face 11 teams that appeared in an NCAA Regional last season and two of which that advanced to Super Regionals. Four of the eight Big Ten teams the Spartans will face also advanced to NCAA Regionals meaning that MSU will face-off against nearly a quarter of last year's NCAA Tournament field this upcoming season.
The Spartans will open the 2023 season at the Texas A&M Invitational on February 10-12. MSU's trip to College Station will be a homecoming for Coach McDonald-Kelley, who was a four-time All-Big 12 selection for the Aggies from 2004-07 where she helped lead Texas A&M to the Women's College World Series. There the Spartans will meet Texas A&M-Commerce, Tarleton, Northern Kentucky and host Texas A&M. The Aggies were NCAA Regional participants last season and are under the direction of first year head coach Trisha Ford.
Michigan State returns to the Elon Phoenix Invitational for the second consecutive season on February 17-19 for what should feature stiff mid-major competition. Fordham and Saint Francis (Pa.) were NCAA Regional participants last season and James Madison played in the Women's College World Series as recently as 2021. Michigan State was 2-1 in three meetings with Elon last season.
MSU heads further south to Tampa, Florida the following week to play in a tournament hosted by South Florida on February 24-26. The Spartans will play four games against NCAA Regional opponents over the span of three days, including a pair of games against Clemson who advanced to the Super Regional in 2022. Michigan State opens the weekend against Illinois-Chicago before matching up with Tennessee, Clemson and USF.
The Spartans begin a series of trips out west when it heads to the ASU Classic on March 3-5. MSU will play a pair of games in Phoenix, meeting 2022 NCAA Regional participants Washington and Grand Canyon. Michigan State then makes the 20-minute drive over to Tempe, Arizona to complete the weekend at Arizona State. The Spartans will match-up against Houston, ASU and Boise State on March 4-5. Arizona State advanced to the NCAA Super Regional last season before being eliminated by Big Ten foe Northwestern.
Michigan State will spend its Spring Break in San Diego, finishing up the non-conference tournament slate at the Torero Classic on March 9-10. There, the Spartans will face Yale twice in addition to games against Western Carolina and San Diego.
MSU returns to East Lansing for its home opener against Central Michigan on March 21 before kicking off the Big Ten season. The Spartans defeated the Chippewas in six innings last season, 8-0. Michigan State's home non-conference schedule also includes dates against Detroit Mercy on March 29, Oakland on April 4 and Notre Dame on April 11. MSU went 3-0 against Detroit Mercy last season defeating the Titans by scores of 13-1, 2-0 and 5-2. Oakland split a pair of games against the Spartans in 2022 with MSU winning the first of the series, 9-0. Notre Dame has been a regular Fall opponent of the Spartans for the last few seasons. Both Oakland and Notre Dame were NCAA Regional participants last season.
Michigan State's Big Ten schedule will feature home series against Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Purdue, and road series at Maryland, Illinois and Indiana. The Spartans will split a home-and-home series with Michigan. Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois were NCAA Regional teams last season. Michigan State's conference slate is balanced based on last season's final standings, with the Spartans set to face three of the top five finishing teams and three of the bottom five from a year ago in addition to Wisconsin and Minnesota that finished eighth and ninth, respectively.
Iowa will arrive in East Lansing for the first time in over a decade with the Spartans last meeting the Hawkeyes in the Great Lake State in 2012. Michigan State has not traveled to Champaign, Illinois to meet the Illini since 2011. This season's series against Illinois is believed to feature one of, if not the first meeting between two black head softball coaches at Power 5 institutions with Illinois' Tyra Perry and MSU's Sharonda McDonald-Kelley.
The Spartans will open the 2023 season at the Texas A&M Invitational on February 10-12. MSU's trip to College Station will be a homecoming for Coach McDonald-Kelley, who was a four-time All-Big 12 selection for the Aggies from 2004-07 where she helped lead Texas A&M to the Women's College World Series. There the Spartans will meet Texas A&M-Commerce, Tarleton, Northern Kentucky and host Texas A&M. The Aggies were NCAA Regional participants last season and are under the direction of first year head coach Trisha Ford.
Michigan State returns to the Elon Phoenix Invitational for the second consecutive season on February 17-19 for what should feature stiff mid-major competition. Fordham and Saint Francis (Pa.) were NCAA Regional participants last season and James Madison played in the Women's College World Series as recently as 2021. Michigan State was 2-1 in three meetings with Elon last season.
MSU heads further south to Tampa, Florida the following week to play in a tournament hosted by South Florida on February 24-26. The Spartans will play four games against NCAA Regional opponents over the span of three days, including a pair of games against Clemson who advanced to the Super Regional in 2022. Michigan State opens the weekend against Illinois-Chicago before matching up with Tennessee, Clemson and USF.
The Spartans begin a series of trips out west when it heads to the ASU Classic on March 3-5. MSU will play a pair of games in Phoenix, meeting 2022 NCAA Regional participants Washington and Grand Canyon. Michigan State then makes the 20-minute drive over to Tempe, Arizona to complete the weekend at Arizona State. The Spartans will match-up against Houston, ASU and Boise State on March 4-5. Arizona State advanced to the NCAA Super Regional last season before being eliminated by Big Ten foe Northwestern.
Michigan State will spend its Spring Break in San Diego, finishing up the non-conference tournament slate at the Torero Classic on March 9-10. There, the Spartans will face Yale twice in addition to games against Western Carolina and San Diego.
MSU returns to East Lansing for its home opener against Central Michigan on March 21 before kicking off the Big Ten season. The Spartans defeated the Chippewas in six innings last season, 8-0. Michigan State's home non-conference schedule also includes dates against Detroit Mercy on March 29, Oakland on April 4 and Notre Dame on April 11. MSU went 3-0 against Detroit Mercy last season defeating the Titans by scores of 13-1, 2-0 and 5-2. Oakland split a pair of games against the Spartans in 2022 with MSU winning the first of the series, 9-0. Notre Dame has been a regular Fall opponent of the Spartans for the last few seasons. Both Oakland and Notre Dame were NCAA Regional participants last season.
Michigan State's Big Ten schedule will feature home series against Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Purdue, and road series at Maryland, Illinois and Indiana. The Spartans will split a home-and-home series with Michigan. Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois were NCAA Regional teams last season. Michigan State's conference slate is balanced based on last season's final standings, with the Spartans set to face three of the top five finishing teams and three of the bottom five from a year ago in addition to Wisconsin and Minnesota that finished eighth and ninth, respectively.
Iowa will arrive in East Lansing for the first time in over a decade with the Spartans last meeting the Hawkeyes in the Great Lake State in 2012. Michigan State has not traveled to Champaign, Illinois to meet the Illini since 2011. This season's series against Illinois is believed to feature one of, if not the first meeting between two black head softball coaches at Power 5 institutions with Illinois' Tyra Perry and MSU's Sharonda McDonald-Kelley.
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Tuesday, February 11
Spartans All-Access: Jenae Wash
Thursday, April 11
Spartans All-Access: Coach Sharonda McDonald-Kelley
Thursday, April 20