Georgia Tech & South Florida Tournaments Highlight UAlbany's 2009 Softball Schedule

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – Vice President and Director of Athletics Lee McElroy announced today the University at Albany’s 2009 softball schedule. The Great Danes, who have won three America East Conference tournament championships and captured last year’s regular-season crown, will most notably compete in the University of South Florida Wilson Tournament before opening up their 22-game slate against league opponents.

UAlbany kicks off the season at the Stetson Leadoff Classic on Feb. 13-15 in a tournament which will also feature Bethune-Cookman and the host school. The Hatters, who won the 2007 Atlantic Sun championship and advanced to the title game last year, won 43 games in 2008. The Florida trip concludes on Feb. 18 when the Great Danes will play a doubleheader against the Ospreys of North Florida, winners of 39 games last season.

The Great Danes will arguably face its most challenging set of games at the University of South Florida Wilson Tournament on Feb. 20-22. After opening up against Eastern Michigan and Rhode Island, UAlbany will face 2008 NCAA Tournament participants Louisville, South Florida and Jacksonville State consecutively. UAlbany will play in two more tournaments at Georgia Tech (March 6-8) and Winthrop (March 13-14).

After playing a single game at George Mason on March 15, the Great Danes will make their first appearance at Albany Field on March 25 against crosstown-rival Siena to start a home-and-home series which will conclude on the Loudonville campus on Apr. 28. UAlbany has won five straight and six of the last games against the Saints.

The Great Danes will host America East opponents Hartford (Apr. 4-5), UMBC (Apr. 10-11), Vermont (Apr. 22) and face Stony Brook in a rematch of last year’s championship to close out the regular season on May 2-3. UAlbany will travel to conference foes Boston University (March 28-29), Vermont (Apr. 8), Binghamton (Apr. 18-19) and Maine (Apr. 25-26).

Head coach Chris Cannata’s squad will host non-conference doubleheaders against Manhattan (Apr. 14) and Bryant (Apr. 15). In addition, the team will tee off against Marist (March 31) and Iona (Apr. 1) on the road in non-conference action.

UAlbany is led by senior third baseman Meagan Butsch and junior pitcher Leah McIntosh, who were each named to the All-America East first team last season. Butsch started all 51 games and led the Great Danes in batting average, runs batted in, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. She also knocked seven home runs and added seven doubles and four triples. McIntosh accumulated 217 strikeouts in 155.2 innings of work and posted a 1.57 ERA. In 22 appearances, the NFCA All-Northeast Region hurler had a 17-6 record with 21 complete games, including nine shutouts and two no-hitters. Junior second baseman Michelle Connors and junior utility player Bailey Van Deest are returning All-America East second-team selections, while shortstop Andrianna Walraven and designated player Gina Mason earned spots on the all-rookie squad.

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2009 UAlbany Softball Schedule

February: 13 (Fri.) vs. Bethune-Cookman!, 1:30 p.m.; 13 (Fri.) at Stetson!, 4 p.m.; 14 (Sat.) vs. Bethune-Cookman!, 1:30 p.m.; 14 (Sat.) at Stetson!, 4 p.m.; 15 (Sun.) at Stetson!, 10 a.m.; 18 (Wed.) at North Florida (DH), 4 p.m.; 20 (Fri.) vs. Eastern Michigan#, 9:30 a.m.; vs. Rhode Island#, 11:30 a.m.; 21 (Sat.) vs. Louisville#, 9:30 a.m. 21 (Sat.) at South Florida#, 2 p.m.; 22 (Sun.) vs. Jacksonville State#, 11 a.m.

March: 6 (Fri.) vs. Centenary$, 11 a.m.; 6 (Fri.) vs. Jacksonville State$, 4 p.m.; 7 (Sat.) vs. Bowling Green$, 1 p.m.; 7 (Sat.) vs. Kennesaw State$, 6 p.m.; 8 (Sun.) vs. Akron$, 10 a.m.; 13 (Fri.) vs. Brown%, 1 p.m.; 13 (Fri.) vs. USC Upstate%, 5 p.m., 14 (Sat.) vs. Ohio%, 1 p.m.; 14 (Sat.) vs. Fairfield%, 5 p.m.; 15 (Sun.) at George Mason, 3 p.m.; 25 (Wed.) Siena (DH), 3 p.m.; 28 (Sat.) at Boston U.* (DH), 1 p.m.; 29 (Sun.) at Boston U.*, 12 p.m.; 31 (Tues.) at Marist (DH), 2:30 p.m.

April: 1 (Wed.) at Iona (DH), 2:30 p.m.; 4 (Sat.) Hartford* (DH), 1 p.m.; 5 (Sun.) Hartford*, 12 p.m.; 8 (Wed.) at Vermont* (DH), 2 p.m.; 10 (Fri.) UMBC* (DH), 2 p.m.; 11 (Sat.), UMBC*, 12 p.m.; 14 (Tues.), Manhattan (DH), 3 p.m. 15 (Wed.) Bryant (DH), 2 p.m.; 18 (Sat.) at Binghamton* (DH), 12 p.m.; 19 (Sun.) at Binghamton*, 12 p.m.; 22 (Wed.) Vermont* (DH), 2 p.m.; 25 (Sat.) at Maine* (DH), 12 p.m.; 26 (Sun.) at Maine*, 12 p.m.; 28 (Tues.) at Siena (DH) 3 p.m.

May: 2 (Sat.) Stony Brook* (DH), 1 p.m.; 3 (Sun.) Stony Brook*, 12 p.m.

*America East Conference Opponent !Stetson Leadoff Classic #South Florida Wilson Tournament

$Georgia Tech’s Buzz Classic %Winthrop/adidas Invitational