Softball Opens Season at Tiger Classic

Syracuse vs. UT Arlington
Game Details	Feb. 9 \| Baton Rouge, La. \| Tiger Park \| 9:30 AM (CT)
Game Coverage	Live Stats: Click Here Twitter: @CuseSB
Syracuse Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule
UT Arlington Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

Syracuse vs. UMass
Game Details	Feb. 9/11 \| Baton Rouge, La. \| Tiger Park \| 12 PM (CT)/9 AM (CT)
Game Coverage	Live Stats: Click Here Twitter: @CuseSB
Syracuse Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule
UMass Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

Syracuse vs. Southern Miss
Game Details	Feb. 10 \| Baton Rouge, La. \| Tiger Park \| 2:30 PM (CT)
Game Coverage	Live Stats: Click Here Twitter: @CuseSB
Syracuse Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule
Southern Miss Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

Syracuse at LSU
Game Details	Feb. 10 \| Baton Rouge, La. \| Tiger Park \| 7:30 PM (CT)
Game Coverage	Live Video: SEC Network+ Live Stats: Click Here Twitter: @CuseSB
Syracuse Links	Notes \| News \| Roster \| Schedule
LSU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

BATON ROUGE, La. – Syracuse opens up the 2018 softball season at the Tiger Classic, hosted by LSU, from Friday, Feb. 9 through Sunday, Feb. 11. The Orange are scheduled to play five games over the course of the three-day tournament.

Syracuse opens up with UT Arlington and UMass on Friday at 9:30 a.m. (CT) and noon (CT), respectively. The Orange face Southern Miss on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. (CT) and No. 8 LSU at 7:30 p.m. (CT). 'Cuse concludes competition on Sunday against UMass at 9 a.m. (CT). A link to the tournament page can be found here.

Live stats will be available for all games, and the outing versus LSU will be broadcasted live on SEC Network+/WatchESPN.

For Starters
- Syracuse recorded its sixth 30-win season in program history in 2017. The Orange finished the slate with a 31-19 record and a 10-10 mark in the ACC.

- 'Cuse was picked sixth in the ACC Preseason Poll. The Orange return five every-day players from last year's lineup along with two starting pitchers.

- Syracuse returns four of their top five hitters. Junior Alicia Hansen posted the team's second-highest batting average (.376) in 2017. She was followed by senior Sammy Fernandez (.358), junior Bryce Holmgren (.352) and senior Faith Cain (.299).

- The Orange bring back sophomore Alexa Romero and senior AnnaMarie Gatti in the circle. The duo combined to start 47-of-50 games in 2017. Romero posted a 12-7 record with a 2.79 ERA and 155 strikeouts, while Gatti went 9-8 with a 3.33 ERA and 78 strikeouts.

- Six newcomers join the 2018 'Cuse roster. Freshmen Gabby Teran, Miranda Hearn, Neli Casares-Maher, Michala Maciolek and Lailoni Mayfield enter their first weekend of collegiate competition. Sophomore Gianna Carideo, a transfer from Washington, will wear the Orange and Blue for the first time.

- Syracuse has won seven-straight season openers. The Orange defeated East Carolina, 9-6, in last year's opening game. The Orange are 11-7 all-time in campaign starters.

The Opponents
- UT Arlington finished with a 32-28 overall record in 2017 and a 14-13 mark in the Sun Belt Conference. The Mavericks earned a bid into the National Invitational Softball Championship, its first postseason berth since 2003.

- UMass ended last season with a 29-24 overall record and a 13-6 mark in league play. The Minutewomen finished second in the A10 regular season standings and lost to Fordham, the A10 champions, in the conference tournament.

- Southern Miss went 27-26 overall last season with an 8-13 record in its Conference USA slate. The Golden Eagles were tabbed ninth in the Conference USA preseason softball poll.

- LSU posted a 48-22 overall record, a 12-12 mark in SEC play and reached the Women's College World Series in 2017. Senior pitchers Allie Walljasper and Carley Hoover have both been named to the 2018 USA Softball Player of the Year Top 50 "Watch List."

On the Orange Horizon
The Orange head to Palm Springs, Calif. to compete in the Mary Nutter Classic from Saturday, Feb. 17 through Monday, Feb. 19.