CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University's softball team will play four in-season tournaments, as well as 16 home games at Cheryl Holt Field, to highlight its 2017 regular-season schedule.
The four tournament appearances will transpire over the first five weeks of the season for the Governors with a trip to Kennesaw, Ga., for the Phyllis Rafter Memorial Tournament (Feb. 11-2); Bowling Green, Ky., for the Holiday Inn Hilltopper Spring Fling (Feb. 24-26); Oxford, Miss., for the Red & Blue Classic (March 3-5) and Murray, Ky., for the Racer Classic (March 10-12).
Along with APSU, the Phyllis Rafter Memorial Tournament will include South Carolina State, Kennesaw State and Saint Louis.
The Hilltopper Spring Fling will have the Govs playing Illinois State, Wright State, Indiana State, IUPUI and Western Kentucky.
The Red & Blue Classic participants are APSU, Nicholls State, Tennessee Martin, Mississippi and Mississippi Valley.
The Racer Classic field is made up of Murray State, Northern Illinois, Saint Louis and the Governors.
Of its 16 home games this season, 10 will come against Ohio Valley Conference opponents and six versus non-conference foes.
Home OVC contests – all doubleheaders -- will come against Morehead State (March 25), Eastern Kentucky (March 26), Belmont (April 22), Tennessee State (April 23) and Murray State (May 6).
Austin Peay's home non-conference games consist of doubleheaders versus Campbell (March 7), Samford (March 22) and single games against Middle Tennessee (Feb. 21) and Chattanooga (April 25).
Road OVC doubleheaders will come against Tennessee Tech (April 1), Southeast Missouri (April 8), Tennessee Martin (April 9), Jacksonville State (April 14), Southern Illinois Edwardsville (April 29) and Eastern Illinois (April 30).
APSU's road non-conference doubleheaders are versus Memphis (March 29) and Evansville (April 5), while also playing a three-game series at Lipscomb (March 18-19).
The OVC Softball Championship will be held May 10-14 at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama – the second straight year the conference's championship tournament has been held in a neutral location.
--AP--
