TAMPA, Feb. 14, 2024– The University of South Florida softball team will welcome four teams to the first-ever Fonseca Memorial Tournament at USF this Thursday through Sunday at the USF Softball Stadium.
South Florida will welcome Illinois-Chicago, Boston College, Purdue, and Hofstra. The Bulls will play each team at least once but will play Boston College and Purdue twice.
The Bulls opened the season last weekend with the annual USF-Rawlings Tournament. They welcomed Illinois State, Bethune-Cookman, Michigan, Oregon State, and Florida. The Bulls kicked off this week with a game against Kansas.
South Florida has a 4-2 record, with losses to Florida and Oregon State. The Bulls started the season with three straight shutouts, the first time since 2008.
With the four wins, South Florida is now 13 wins away from 1,500 in program history, while head coach, Ken Eriksen is 14 wins away from 1,100 in his career.
In the Bulls’ 10-0 win over Bethune-Cookman, first-year pitchers Julia Apostolakos and Alex Wright threw a combined no-hitter. It’s the first time in program history that a pair of first-years threw a combined no-hitter in their first collegiate game.
Round Up for the Opponents
Illinois-Chicago (0-5)
Date: February 15 | 4 PM
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Series vs. UIC: South Florida leads, 12-7
Notable Information:
- Illinois-Chicago started the 2024 season at the Easton Classic in Fullerton, California.
- The Flames went 0-5 with losses to Southern Utah, Pacific, Colorado State, and Cal State Fullerton.
Boston College (4-1)
Date: February 15 & 16 | 6:30 p.m. & 4:30 p.m.
Watch: Game 1: ESPN+ | Game 2: ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Series vs. Boston College: South Florida leads, 3-2
Notable Information:
- The Eagles started their season at the FGCU Tournament.
- Boston College went head-to-head with hosts FGCU, LIU, and Georgetown. The Eagles’ only loss came against LIU on Saturday.
Purdue (3-2)
Date: February 17 & 18 | 2 p.m.
Watch: Game 1: ESPN+ | Game 2: ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Series vs. Purdue: Series tied, 5-5
Notable Information:
- Purdue started the season at the Red and Black Classic in Athens, Georgia with games against Murray State, South Dakota, and No. 6 Georgia.
- The Boilermakers’ only losses came against the Bulldogs on Saturday and Sunday.
Hofstra (0-0)
Date: February 17, 2023 at 1:30 PM
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Series vs. Hofstra: South Florida leads, 14-7
Notable Information:
- Hofstra is kicking off their 2024 season with The Fonseca Memorial Tournament at USF.
- The Lions finished the 2023 season with a 29-27 record.
About USF Softball
Be sure to follow USF softball on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. The USF softball program has been one of the most successful on campus, making 17 NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Women’s College World Series in 2012.
– #GoBulls –
