Softball announces fall schedule

Troy softball head coach Beth Mullins announced the fall schedule that her team will be playing on Wednesday, Aug. 26. All eight games of the fall season will be home games for the Trojans as they prepare for their regular season come spring.

Troy, which went 33-23 overall last year under Mullins, will look to use the time to improve as a team in a competitive setting without postseason implications.

To begin the fall season, the Trojans are set to play a doubleheader against Mississippi State, a move that may have raised some eyebrows among softball fans.

“Not a lot of schools put Division I schools on their fall schedules,” Mullins said. “We tried to schedule them for the spring, but we couldn’t fit it into either of our calendars. I think it’s good, though, to get a little variety in our schedule.”

Troy also looks to prepare accordingly for the season with the designed scheduling of all the fall games to be at home.

“We love playing at home,” Mullins said. “We love our fans. We love the weather. We want to play at home and get a good taste of what our season is going to be like come spring.”

Aside from MSU, the Trojans will also play host to Wallace-Hanceville, Northwest Florida, AUM, and Gulf Coast Community College. No matter what the competition, Troy looks to rotate players and get playing time for some of the new faces.

“I want the fall to be challenging for our girls,” Mullins said. “I want everybody to get playing time, but I also want it to feel like the spring. I feel like our schedule this year has done a great job of doing that.”

Fans will expect another good season this year, particularly after last year’s success. The Trojans recorded three wins against top-25 teams, including road wins against No. 10 Florida State and No. 7 UL Lafayette.

Fall play will begin on Sunday, Sept. 27, against Mississippi State. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.