Sept. 22, 2010

STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford head coach John Rittman has announced the schedule for the upcoming 2011 softball season. The Cardinal posted a 37-19 overall record in 2010 and made its 13th consecutive NCAA appearance.

Stanford will take on some of the nation's best competition this spring. The Cardinal will play 29 games against teams that participated in last year's NCAA Tournament, including conference series' versus reigning NCAA Champion UCLA and national runner-up Arizona. Stanford will also play 20 games against teams that finished last season ranked in the top-25.

The Cardinal will prepare for the 2011 campaign with four exhibition games this fall. During homecoming weekend, Stanford will face Saint Mary's on Friday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. The team will take on San Jose State on Oct. 28 and conclude the fall season with a double-header against Santa Clara on Nov. 7. All games will be played at the Boyd and Jill Smith Family Stadium.

Stanford opens the 2011 season at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz., with a double-header against Cal State Northridge and Bradley on Feb. 11. The Cardinal will also face NCAA Tournament participant Nebraska, Portland State and Nevada during the opening weekend.

The team will remain on the road for the UNLV Louisville Slugger Desert Classic, Feb. 18-20. Stanford will take on 2010 Women's College World Series participants Hawai'i and Tennessee, as well as, Utah State, Portland State and BYU.

The Cardinal will play its first home games during the Stanford Nike Invitational, Feb. 25-27. Stanford's home opener will take place, Friday, Feb. 25 against Memphis at 1:30 p.m. The Cardinal will also host 2010 NCAA participants North Dakota State, Kentucky and UC Davis, as well as, Colorado State.

Stanford will hit the road once again, traveling to Fullerton, Calif., for the DeMarini Invitational, Mar. 4-6. The Cardinal will play five games over the three days, including contests against Big Ten foe Iowa on Friday and host Cal State Fullerton on Sunday.

Stanford will host two more tournaments, the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic (Mar. 18-20) and the Stanford Invitational (Mar. 25-27), before jumping into the always-competitive Pac-10 schedule. Among the challengers are two teams coming off NCAA appearances, UC Davis and San Diego State.

The squad will open the conference season at home against NCAA runner-up Arizona, at Smith Family Stadium Apr. 1-3. The Cardinal will continue Pac-10 play on the road as they travel to Los Angeles to battle the reigning NCAA Champions, the UCLA Bruins, Apr. 8-10.

Stanford will return to The Farm to host the Oregon State Beavers, Apr. 15-17, before traveling across the Bay to take on rival California in Berkeley, Apr. 21-23. The Cardinal will then host Washington, a 2010 WCWS participant, for three games, Apr. 29 - May 1. The team will close the conference season on the road, traveling to Eugene, Ore., to face the Oregon Ducks, May 6-8. The Cardinal will make its second trip of the year to Tempe, Ariz., to finish the Pac-10 season against the Arizona State Sun Devils, May 12-14.

NCAA Regional action will begin May 19, and leads up to the 30th annual Women's College World Series, June 2-8 in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The 2010 season marked the 13th straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the Cardinal. Stanford ended the season ranked No. 21 nationally and finished tied for sixth in the competitive Pac-10 Conference.

The complete 2011 Stanford softball schedule is available here.