Softball Revs up 2023 Season at the Upstate Classic

2023 Season Preview

The Starting Lineup
What: Upstate Classic
Where: Cyrill Stadium (Spartanburg, S.C.)
When: Feb. 10-12

Bucknell Schedule (All Times EST)
Friday, Feb. 10
9 a.m. | vs. George Washington | Live Stats
1 p.m. | at USC Upstate | Live Stats | Watch

Saturday, Feb. 11
11:00 a.m. | vs. Maine | Live Stats
1 p.m. | at USC Upstate | Live Stats

Sunday, Feb. 12
10 a.m. | vs. George Washington | Live Stats

Coach Caffrey's Call

"I know we are excited to be en route to our first games of the season," said head coach Sarah Caffrey. "We feel prepared to compete this weekend and for the duration of the season. We want to stick to our core values and improve every time we take the field. This team is going to be exciting to watch, and I am personally thrilled to take on another season with Bucknell softball."

The Inside "Herd" on the Bison

Bucknell starts the 2023 season at the Upstate Classic with two games against host USC Upstate and George Washington and a solitary game versus Maine.
The Bison also opened the 2020 season in Spartanburg, going 2-2, beating Saint Francis University and Towson while losing to Marshall and hosting USC Upstate.
The Orange & Blue finished the 2022 season going 7-38 (3-15 PL), missing the Patriot League Tournament by placing sixth. The Bison concluded the season on a strong note by taking two out of three games against Lafayette. It was head coach Sarah Caffrey's second season.
Last year, the Bison finished fifth in triples and fourth in fielding percentage for the Patriot League.
Bucknell lost leading hitter Nicole Rivait and frontline pitcher Kelly Toomey to graduation.
The schedule is filled this season with 56 games on the slate. The Patriot League Tournament is booked for May 11-13, and the highest seed will host.
This is Bucknell softball's 45^th season of competition. The program has an overall record of 742-931-9 (.444) and a conference record of 285-288-1.

Overview of the Opposition

George Washington- The Colonials are coming off a successful season in 2022, where GW went 36-17 overall and 21-3 in A-10 play. The Colonials fell 6-3 in the A-10 Championship Game, foiling their chances at a repeat title. They were invited to the National Invitational Softball Championship and lost to Kansas and Bowling Green. George Washington returns Alexa Williams, the 2022 A-10 Player of the Year, and was picked to finish third in the A-10.
USC Upstate- The host team is a force to be reckoned with. The Spartans stacked up 48 victories in 2022 but lost in the Big South Tournament to Campbell and Longwood to miss out on the NCAA Tournament. USC Upstate returns all six .300 hitters from 2022. Their ace pitcher, Hannah Houge, graduated, but the second starter Alyssa Kelly posted a 1.70 ERA and collected 17 wins. The Spartans went 4-0 in 2022's Upstate Classic and were 31-4 at home overall. Upstate was projected to finish first in the Big South.
Maine- The Black Bears went 8-37 in 2022 and finished their season, losing twice in the America East Tournament. Maine avoided the ravages of graduation and the transfer portal by retaining their three .300 hitters (Kelby Drews, Jasmine Gray, and Izzy Nieblas). Maine's main struggle in 2022 was pitching, as the team accumulated a staff ERA of 5.77. Maine was picked to tie for fifth with upcoming Bison foe Bryant in fifth place.

History with the Foes

George Washington- The Bison are 5-4 against the Colonials. The teams first met in 2003 when Bucknell won both ends of the doubleheader and last played in 2020, where George Washington won both games. Those were the last two games of 2020 before COVID canceled the season.
USC Upstate- The Spartans won the only meeting, 3-2, back in 2020.
Maine- Bucknell is 2-1 against Maine in a series that too dates back to 2003. The Bison won that meeting and also won the last meeting in 2018.

Up Next

The Bison stay on the road for the NSU-Hampton Classic from Feb. 17-19.