Moon Township, Pa. – Participation in a round robin in North Carolina, the Winthrop Invitational and a non-conference swing out west, plus a full slate of Horizon League games highlight the 2022 RMU softball schedule released Monday.
The Colonials will open the 2022 season by traveling to Greensboro, N.C., to take on North Carolina A&T and Howard in a round robin. RMU will take on the host Aggies three times, including a doubleheader to open the year Friday, Feb. 11.
RMU will also take part in the Winthrop Invitational, Feb. 18-20, in Rock Hill, S.C., with five games in three days. The Colonials will open the tournament against Ball State (Feb. 18) and will also take on Albany (Feb. 18, Feb. 20) twice, Towson (Feb. 19) and the host Eagles (Feb. 19).
The March schedule opens with RMU's first trip west since 2016 when the Colonials took part in the DeMarini Desert Classic in Henderson, Nevada. The 2022 trip is a swing through the Pacific Northwest and opens with a three-game set at Portland State. The Colonials will take on the Vikings in a doubleheader Friday, March 4, before concluding the series Saturday, March 5. The trip also includes doubleheaders at Oregon State (March 7) and Seattle (March 9) as well as a matchup at Washington (March 8).
RELATED: RMU 2022 Schedule
The 2022 home opener for the Colonials also doubles as the Horizon League opener. RMU will welcome Green Bay to the North Athletic Complex for a three-game series March 11-12. Home Horizon League series also include matchups with Cleveland State (April 1-2), IUPUI (April 15-16), Purdue Fort Wayne (April 22-23) and Youngstown State (May 6-7).
The Colonials open the road portion of their Horizon League slate with a three-game series at Detroit Mercy March 18-19. The 2022 Horizon League Tournament is set for May 12-14, 2022, at the home of the regular season champion.
Led by third-year head coach
Jexx Varner, RMU recorded an overall record of 25-19 (.568) last season, including a mark of 20-14 (.588) in the Horizon League. The Colonials posted their first 25-win campaign since 2015 and qualified for the 2021 Horizon League Tournament as the No. 4 seed.
Among the returners for RMU in 2022 is senior
Erika Bell, who hit .304 (35-for-115) last year with three home runs and 19 RBI. Fifth-year outfielder
Alaina York was one of two Colonials to start each of RMU's 44 games in 2021 and returns this season after finishing third on the squad in runs (22) while hitting .294 (35-for-119). From the circle, RMU will be bolstered by the return of senior
Dana Vatakis, who finished 10-6 in 2021 with 10 complete games, a 3.33 earned run average (ERA) and 90 strikeouts.
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