WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – The Monmouth University softball teams begins its 41st season this month, which starts February 9 at the Dr. Diane Natalicio Memorial Tournament with a doubleheader at New Mexico State. The second half of the showcase shifts to UTEP on Saturday as the Hawks meet the Miners before taking on Western Michigan in the nightcap. Monmouth takes on Western Michigan again on Sunday to round out the tournament. The Hawks will play each of the three schools for the first time ever at the event.
"I am excited to kick off the season next week," said Head Coach Shannon Salsburg, who enters her ninth season with the Hawks and 18th of her collegiate career. "Our schedule is challenging and built to prepare us for meaningful ball in May. I look forward to seeing this team grow and can't wait to see what they can accomplish."
The next two weekends feature 10 games in South Carolina with the first five coming at Winthrop for the Eagle Classic (Feb. 16-18) with games against Appalachian State, USC Upstate, Binghamton, Le Moyne, and Mount St. Mary's. The following weekend, Monmouth travels to Spartanburg to the campus of USC Upstate for the Wings Etc. Tournament (Feb. 23-25). The five contests include two head-to-heads with Akron, two versus USC Upstate, and a headliner matchup with No. 25 Kentucky, who made its 14th consecutive NCAA Tournament in 2023.
March starts with a return to the Madeira Spring Games (Mar. 1-3), where the Hawks last participated in 2022. Monmouth takes on Quinnipiac, Western Michigan, UAlbany, Sacred Heart, and Southern Indiana on the weekend, and all games for the tournament will be broadcasted on FloSports.
Conference play begins Friday, March 8, at Drexel. This season marks the first year the CAA will play one game each day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as opposed to previously scheduled doubleheaders on weekends.
The 2024 home opener is scheduled for Wednesday, March 13, as the Hawks take on Saint Joe's for the 23rd time in program history. It marks the start of an eight-game homestand for Monmouth with a weekend series versus Hampton (Mar. 15-17), a midweek game against Lehigh (Mar. 20), and another conference series against last year's CAA representative in the NCAA Tournament, Hofstra (Mar. 22-24).
The Hawks play Wednesday road contests at Columbia (Mar. 27) and Lafayette (Apr. 3) with a CAA series at new CAA member and 2023 NCAA Tournament participant Campbell (Mar. 29-30) in between
Monmouth returns home for a series versus Stony Brook (Apr. 5-7) and a Tuesday game against Delaware State (Apr. 9) before a road series at Delaware (Apr. 12-14).
Salsburg looks to give Monmouth its first win over Princeton since 2015 on April 17, as the Hawks warm up for two home series against Towson (Apr. 19-21) and the College of Charleston (Apr.26-28). Monmouth plays another in-state rival on Wednesday, May 1, as the Hawks make the drive to Rutgers.
The Hawks close their 2024 regular season with a three-game series at UNC Wilmington from May 2-4.
The top six teams at the conclusion of the regular season will qualify for the Coastal Athletic Association Tournament which will take place from Wednesday, May 8 to Saturday, May 11, at Boseman Field on UNC Wilmington's campus.
The full 2024 Monmouth softball schedule can be found here.
