BALTIMORE, Md. (Jan. 10, 2019)-Morgan State head softball coach Larry Hineline has announced the 2019 Lady Bears' schedule. The reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Northern Division champions, who a year ago captured the program's first-ever division crown, while setting the school record for victories with 28, are looking to repeat as division champions in 2019.  
 
In order to accomplish that feat, a 53-game slate has been lined up, including a challenging non-conference schedule, which features five regular season tournaments, along with a 15-game MEAC Northern Division schedule.

Morgan State will host 17 games at Lois T. Murray Field, 11 contests will come against non-conference opponents, including the second annual MSU Tournament, as well as a doubleheader against MEAC Southern Division foe, South Carolina State. The remaining six home games will be against MEAC Northern Division competition.
 
"This year's schedule might be one of the most ambitious ever for our softball program," said Hineline, who last year was named MEAC Coach of the Year. "Perennial powerhouses like Notre Dame, James Madison, Fordham, Iowa and Hofstra, along with many other top flight programs appear for the first time in the opposing dugout. We believe that this level of competition will be very beneficial in our goal to be at the upper level of MEAC softball."
 
The 2019 season gets underway Friday, Feb. 8-Sunday, Feb. 10, when Morgan State travels to Clinton, S.C. to compete in the Presbyterian Blue Hose Invitational. The Lady Bears will face Akron and host Presbyterian on Friday, before taking on East Tennessee State and Presbyterian on Saturday. Morgan State will conclude the tournament on Sunday against Akron.
 
Following a week off, the Lady Bears will head to the Sunshine State to compete in the D-9 Citrus Classic in Orlando, Fla. (Feb. 22-24). On Friday, Feb. 22, Morgan State will square off against Fordham and the University of Alabama Birmingham. On Saturday, the Lady Bears will open up against UAB before taking on Iowa and will close out the three-day tournament on Sunday against Notre Dame.

The next week Morgan State will open up its home slate with the MSU Tournament (Mar. 1-3). On Day 1, the Lady Bears will host Central Connecticut in a doubleheader beginning at 12:30 p.m. Morgan State will meet Providence and Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday, before closing out the tournament against Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday.
 
Next up will be a trip to a familiar site, when the Lady Bears travel to Hampton, Va. for the Hampton Tournament (Mar. 8-10). Morgan State will not face host Hampton, who at the end of last season left the MEAC to join the Big South Conference. MSU will begin the weekend taking on South Carolina State and Mount St. Mary's (Md.) on Friday. The Lady Bears will go up against South Carolina State and Hofstra on Saturday, before facing Iona on Sunday.
 
Following a mid-week doubleheader match-up at home against South Carolina State (Mar. 13) – which will not count toward the MEAC standings – the Lady Bears will hit the road again, this time traveling to Harrisonburg, Va. to compete in the James Madison Tournament (Mar. 16-17). It will be the final regular season tournament for Lady Bears this season. Morgan State will take on Saint Joseph's and Rutgers on Saturday and will see Binghamton and host James Madison on Sunday.
 
This year the Lady Bears will begin MEAC play at home when they square off against Norfolk State (Mar. 23-24). The two begin their three-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday, before playing a single game on Sunday.
 
Morgan State will return to non-conference action with four consecutive doubleheaders at George Washington (Mar. 27) and at Manhattan (Mar. 31), before hosting Cornell (Apr. 2) and then facing rival Towson (Apr. 3) on the road. Last year the Lady Bears not only defeated Towson for the first-time ever, when they won the opener, but they proceeded to sweep the Tigers in the doubleheader.
 
The Lady Bears will face MEAC Northern Division action for the next three weekends, starting with a home series against Delaware State (Apr. 6-7), then on the road at Howard (Apr. 13-14) and at Maryland Eastern Shore (Apr. 19-20).
 
Morgan State will visit Mount St. Mary's (Md.) for a non-conference tilt in Emmitsburg, Md. (Apr. 24), before facing rival Coppin State on the road (Apr. 27-28) to close out the MEAC schedule.
 
The 2019 season will come to an end on Wednesday, May 1, when the Lady Bears welcome Rider to Lois T. Murray Field for a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is at 2 p.m.
 
For complete schedule, click here.