12 Pac-12 Networks Games Highlight 2016 Schedule
December 17, 2015 | Softball
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State softball team and head coach Laura Berg have announced the Beavers' 2016 schedule, a 51-game regular season campaign spanning from February through May, featuring 12 Pac-12 Networks games as well as 13 games at the friendly confines of the OSU Softball Complex.
Highlighting a challenging 2016 slate are 13 opponents that finished last season ranked in the top 25, combining for over half (27 games) of the Beavers' upcoming schedule. Additionally, Oregon State faces 17 opponents that finished with an RPI of 75 or better for a combined 34 games in the upcoming season, and plays 32 games against 2015 NCAA Tournament teams.
“We have a great schedule coming up this year,” Oregon State head coach Laura Berg said. “The Pac-12 schedule is always going to be tough year in and year out. Playing the top teams – teams that have been in the NCAA Tournament – is going to help us and will push us to get better. This schedule will help us get ready for the postseason. You've got to play the tough teams so that they can prepare you. I'm excited and looking forward to it. I know we can do it – it'll be fun to watch and see how these women step up to the challenge.”
The Oregon State softball team is set to have 12 games appear on the Pac-12 Networks, including 10 games played at the OSU Softball Complex, giving the Beavers the second-highest number of home games to receive Pac-12 Networks coverage amongst all conference members.
“I think it's great to have so much television coverage,” Berg said. “I think they see that we have a great stadium to televise games in, and it works out especially great for those that have families from another state that will be able to see our athletes play on television. I'm excited for this year's coverage and I know the players are, too.”
Oregon State opens the season with five games at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The Beavers kick off the 2016 season with two games on Friday, Feb. 12, as they face San Jose State and Kentucky, which finished 2015 ranked No. 17 nationally. The Beavers continue their opening weekend with a matchup with CSUN (ranked 51st in RPI last season) on Saturday, Feb. 13, and close with games against Cal Poly and New Mexico on Sunday, Feb. 14.
Headlining Oregon State's home schedule is a three-game Civil War series with the Oregon Ducks at OSU Softball Complex from Friday, April 8 through Sunday, April 10. The Beavers open their home slate with a challenging series, as they host the California Golden Bears, a team that finished last season with an RPI of 23 as well as a No. 23 ranking in both polls, from Thursday, March 24 through Saturday, March 26.
In its other two Pac-12 home series, Oregon State is set to host the Washington Huskies from Friday, April 22 through Sunday, April 24, as well as the Arizona State Sun Devils from Thursday, May 12 through Saturday, May 14, in the Beavers final home series of the season. Washington closed last season ranked No. 21 in each poll, while both polls ranked Arizona State at No. 20 at the end of the 2015 season.
Oregon State will also host one non-conference match at home, as the Beavers are set to face Portland State at the OSU Softball Complex on Tuesday, April 12.
OSU opens Pac-12 play in Salt Lake City, Utah with a three-game conference series at Utah from Saturday, March 19 to Monday, March 21. The Beavers' other road Pac-12 series are at Stanford (April 1-3), UCLA (April 15-17) and at Arizona (May 6-8).
Home series set to receive coverage on the Pac-12 Networks include the entirety of each of the series against California, Oregon and Arizona State. The Beavers' April 24 game against Washington rounds out home games on the Pac-12 Networks, while the Beavers' first two games at Arizona (May 6-7) will also be picked up by the Pac-12 Networks.
Highlighting the rest of the non-conference schedule is a trip to Fullerton, Calif. for the Judi Garman Classic from Friday, March 4 through Sunday, March 6. Oregon State will face a tough test throughout the tournament, as the Beavers are set to face Baylor, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Fresno State.
One week prior to the Judi Garman Classic, Oregon State will compete in another challenging tournament, as the Beavers are set to travel to Palm Springs, Calif. for the Mary Nutter Classic. The Beavers open the four-day tournament lasting from Thursday, Feb. 25 until Sunday, Feb. 28 with matchups against Oklahoma and Northwestern, and finish out the tournament slate against Loyola Marymount, Bethune Cookman and New Mexico State.
Following its season-opening Kajikawa Classic, Oregon State competes in its second week of action during the DeMarini Desert Classic in Las Vegas, Nev. The Beavers face off with Robert Morris and Hawai'I on Friday, Feb. 19, Wichita State and UC-Davis on Saturday, Feb. 20 as well as Boise State and San Jose State on Sunday, Feb. 21.
Oregon State's final non-conference games before opening conference play at Utah will be at the CSUN Tournament, where the Beavers will face off twice with host CSUN, a 2015 NCAA Tournament participant. In the three-day tournament spanning from Friday, March 11 to Sunday, March 13, the Beavers will also face San Diego twice, and will face Toledo in between.
“I think the early travel provides an opportunity for the players to grow closer as a team and become closer out on the field as well,” Berg said. “In my playing experiences, being on the road with my teammates were some of my favorite times. Having laughs while on the bus, watching movies in the airport – those are some of the things that I miss, and the things these ladies will miss as well when they're done playing.”
For more information on the Oregon State softball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/OregonStateSB, by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateSB or on Instagram at Instagram.com/OregonStateSB.
