Rochester, Mich. - After a stellar 2023 season where they finished runner-up in the Horizon League, Oakland Softball steps back up to the plate as they look to take their 2024 season one step further.

The Golden Grizzlies will spend their first few weeks on the East Coast, starting in Charleston, S.C. where they will participate in the Cougar Classic. They open the invitational on Feb. 23 as they take on the Princeton Tigers. Throughout the classic Oakland will face-off against opponents like Princeton (Feb. 23 and 25), South Carolina State (Feb. 24), and host school Charleston (Feb. 23-24).

Oakland then heads one state up for a single game in Chapel Hill as they visit the University of North Carolina on Feb. 28, before returning to South Carolina for the Chanticleer Showdown at Coastal Carolina University. They once again open the series against an Ivy League opponent, this time going against Yale on Mar. 1. They will also take the field against Iona, Coastal Carolina, and a special in-state matchup against Michigan State on Mar. 2.

Oakland looks to even the score against MSU after last year's matchup ended in a 3-4 loss for the Golden Grizzlies. In this game, despite a two run fifth inning, Oakland was unable to complete a comeback after giving up four first-inning runs to the Spartans.

On Mar. 8, Oakland will return to the Midwest as they throw their names in the hat at the Indiana Invite in Bloomington, IN. Oakland will play the host team, Indiana, on Mar. 8 followed by competitions against Dayton (Mar. 9-10), Howard (Mar. 9), and Indiana once more (Mar. 10) to close out the tournament.

The Golden Grizzlies begin their road back to the Horizon League Championship, as their 2024 league play begins with a three game road trip to Northern Kentucky for a 2023 Horizon League Championship rematch from Mar. 15-16.

The Norse defeated Oakland in the League Championship Series in 2023. NKU defeated Oakland in the semifinals 2-4, but after Oakland bounced back and defeated Youngstown State in the elimination game with a 2-0 shutout, the semifinal matchup came to fruition again. Oakland won the first Championship game 4-2 to even the series at one a piece, but they were unable to rally in the final game of the tournament as they fell 1-2, coming just a single run from winning back-to-back Horizon League titles.

Oakland returns home on Mar. 19 where they will host Western Michigan in the first action on the Oakland Softball Field in 2024. Tafter a quick road trip to Ann Arbpr to take on Michigan (Mar. 20), the Golden Grizzlies host league opponent IUPUI (Mar. 22-23).

After their series against IUPUI, 18 of the Golden Grizzlies final 20 games are against Horizon League opponents. A bout against Central Michigan (Mar. 27) in Mount Pleasant and a final showdown against Michigan State at Secchia Field (May 1) stand as the two final out-of-conference games.

Oakland is once again led by Samantha Henderson, is moving into her second year as Interim Head Coach for the Golden Grizzlies. Oakland looks to blaze through their regular season opponents once again, looking to have less than seven losses during regular season conference play for the third consecutive season.

The storied program has a positive outlook and is more ready than ever for the upcoming season.


 

FOLLOW OAKLAND

Stay up to date on everything Oakland Softball via social media platforms Instagram and Twitter @OaklandSoftball.