2017 Schedule

SAN FRANCISCO – Academy of Art University softball and head coach Sonja Garnett have officially announced the Urban Knights' schedule for 2017. Featuring action against some of the top teams in the West Region, ART U's 52-game regular season slate spans early February through late April.

"Every year our goal is to improve and we have to play good competition early to prepare for a tough PacWest schedule," said Garnett. "We have some very respectable opponents in our first two weekends leading into the Cactus Classic and then we play Humboldt who just went to the National Championship. I am confident this schedule will prepare us to go postseason in the next few years."

In 2017, Academy of Art spends its Opening Day at Mission Blue Field, hosting Cal State East Bay on Feb. 3. The following day features another California Collegiate Athletic Association matchup with SF State visiting the Knights on Feb. 4. The Gators finished in the middle of the CCAA standings with a 19-21 conference record last season and Cal State East Bay was three spots below at 13-21.

"We love playing the Bay Area CCAA teams," said Garnett. "It is almost like a battle of the bay the first weekend out at our home field. It will be great to have our young athletes adapting to the strain of season and competition."

ART U's home-heavy month of February continues with a pair against Northwest Nazarene on Feb. 10 and later the start of PacWest play with Dominican in town on Feb. 25. In between those gamedays, however, will be a new experience for Academy of Art: The 2017 Cactus Classic. Hosted by the Tucson Invitational Games in Arizona, the tournament features six games and includes several teams the Knights have not played before such as Fort Lewis, Lubbock Christian, and West Texas A&M. Ranked No. 1 for much of the 2016 season and NCAA DII National Champions in 2014, WTAMU went 59-5 before falling to Southern Arkansas in the NCAA Quarterfinals.

"Our team has earned the opportunity to attend the Cactus Classic," said Garnett. "This and the Tournament of Champions are a chance for us to travel and play top ranked teams while adding games to our schedule. We are very excited to be in these two tournaments this season."

For its final non-conference doubleheader, Academy of Art will travel to Humboldt State on Feb. 27. After going 54-8-1 (and tying ART U) in 2016, the two-time national champion Lumberjacks finished runner-up to champ North Alabama at the end of last season.  The Knights will then open March by hosting BYU-Hawaii (Mar. 4), a team against whom they are 16-8 all-time.

Early March features Academy of Art's longest stretch of road games with trips to Notre Dame de Namur (Mar. 5), California Baptist (Mar. 14), Azusa Pacific (Mar. 16), and Concordia (Mar. 18-19) all within a two-week span. CBU, APU, and CUI each won 40+ games in 2016 with the PacWest champion Cougars and Lancers reaching NCAA DII West Regionals. Not yet eligible for the postseason, Concordia hit the eighth-most home runs in the country among DII teams (61).

"The PacWest is becoming increasingly competitive," said Garnett. "Every game is a challenge, and it becomes more important to be prepared athletically and mentally. We are working hard this fall to prepare for the rigors of our 2017 season, and are eager to see results.

After the Knights return home, they will host UH Hilo for four games across Mar. 25-26 then have Hawaii Pacific in town on Mar. 29. The 2016 season was the first that UH Hilo and HPU did not finish both among the top six in the PacWest standings as the Vulcans were fifth with a 21-9 conference record and the Sharks ended up behind ART U with a 12-18 PacWest record. Stanislaus State's Tournament of Champions bridges March and April (Mar. 31 – Apr. 2) with Academy of Art departing conference play for six games against a variety of opponents still to be determined.

The Knights will have a short turnaround to host Chaminade on Apr. 4 then play Holy Names four times consecutive Saturdays (Apr. 8 in Oakland, Apr. 15 in Brisbane). Senior Day will take place Apr. 19 when ART U rematches with NDNU at Mission Blue Field. Academy of Art is on the road for the final week of the regular season, facing Dominican (Apr. 22) and Dixie State (Apr. 29) who finished sixth and third in the PacWest standings respectively.