Softball season is right around the corner, as Valpo head coach Amanda Eberhart announced her squad’s schedule for the upcoming 2022 campaign.

Valpo will stay close to home to open the season, making the short trip to Rosemont to take part in the DePaul Dome Tournament Feb. 10-12, where it will face Butler, Eastern Illinois and Western Michigan in addition to the Blue Demons.

The following weekend sees the Beacons take their longest trip of the campaign, trekking to Charleston, S.C. for the Charleston Invitational. They will take on Binghamton twice and Lipscomb and Holy Cross once apiece, as well as the host Cougars.

After a weekend away from action, Valpo heads to Bloomington for four games over two days, taking on Indiana and Western Illinois twice apiece. The pre-conference slate comes to a close with the co-hosted Bluegrass Classic March 10-12, where Valpo will take on Central Michigan, Louisville, Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky and Buffalo.

The Missouri Valley Conference schedule starts for the Beacons in Terre Haute, as they play a three-game series at Indiana State March 19-20. Valpo will also travel to Missouri State (March 26-27), Drake (April 23-24) and Illinois State (April 30-May 1) during the conference slate, and will also play a non-conference game at Western Michigan March 23.

The home opener at the Valpo Softball Complex is slated for March 29, a non-conference matchup with Northern Illinois. The Beacons will also host Purdue Fort Wayne (April 12) in non-conference play and will welcome Bradley (April 2-3), Southern Illinois (April 9-10), UNI (April 15-16) and Evansville (May 6-7) to Valpo for MVC series. Valpo’s series with Loyola is split up into a doubleheader at the Valpo Softball Complex on April 20 and a single game at Loyola on April 27.

The MVC Tournament is scheduled to be contested May 11-14 in Springfield, Mo., with Missouri State hosting. The winner of the 2022 MVC Tournament will receive the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.