Santa Clara Softball Schedule (PDF)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The 2012 Santa Clara University softball schedule has been announced and it includes at least 51 games spanning seven non-conference tournaments and the always-challenging 20-game Pacific Coast Softball Conference (PCSC) slate.

Led by fourth-year head coach Lisa Mize, the Broncos will open the season at UTEP on Thursday, February 9 and play in the New Mexico State Encanto Hotel Invitational later that weekend. The tournament in Texas is the first of seven non-conference tournaments scheduled for the Broncos prior to league play beginning in April.

"I like to play a competitive preseason schedule to prepare the team for conference," said Mize, who was an Olympian at the 1996 games in Atlanta. "We are on the road a lot more than we would prefer but we do our best to make a schedule that is competitive, while also allowing us the opportunity to be successful and build some confidence."

Santa Clara will face some of the nation's top teams (according the final 2011 NCAA RPI report) including: No. 5 Cal, No. 16 Stanford, No. 30 Indiana, No. 36 Fresno State, No. 50 New Mexico State and No. 53 Pacific.

The PCSC schedule starts with a road series at Loyola Marymount Saturday and Sunday, March 31-April 1. PCSC road games at Sacramento State (April 6-7) and San Diego (April 14-15) preclude the team's PCSC home-opener Saturday, April 21 against Bay Area rival St. Mary's.

"We're playing a lot more games this year due to the fact that we have much more depth on our roster than in previous years," added Mize. "Additionally, another thing that is exciting for us, is that we finish up conference play at home."

For the very latest on Santa Clara softball, follow the team's official Twitter page (@SCUSoftball) and the Bronco softball Facebook page for updates and information throughout the year!