The Hofstra University softball team made the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Championships as the 6th seed in the 2023-2024 season. At the end of the year, they were 23-26, but in conference, they were 17-10.
Before conference play starts this season, Hofstra softball will participate in two classics and one invitational.
From Friday, Feb. 14, to Sunday, Feb. 16, they play Baylor University and Oklahoma University in the Gattermann Classic. Baylor is hosting at the Gattermann Stadium. Hofstra last played Baylor in May 2007 and March 2008. Hofstra last played Oklahoma in Feb. 2019 and May 2023.
Oklahoma and Baylor played each other from 1979-1980 to 2024. Oklahoma University has won 8 NCAA Championships, and in 2024, their record was 59-7, and they won the Norman Regional and Women’s College World Series. In ESPN’s USA Softball Collegiate Top 25, Oklahoma is ranked third. Baylor finished 2024 with a record of 36-23. They won the Lafayette Regional but ultimately lost in the Gainesville Super Regional. In ESPN’s USA Softball Collegiate Top 25, Baylor is ranked 19.
From Friday, Feb. 21, to Sunday, Feb. 23, the Pride will play Charleston Southern University twice, Liberty University once and Radford University twice in the Liberty Softball Classic. The Classic will be hosted by Liberty at the Liberty Softball Stadium. Hofstra has played Liberty three times, in May 2018, Feb. 2020 and Feb. 2022, but has never played Radford or Charleston Southern.
From Friday, Feb. 28, to March 2, Hofstra plays Cornell University twice, Seton Hall University once and the University of Virginia twice in the Party at Palmer Invitational in Charlottesville, Virginia. The last time Hofstra played Seton Hall was in 2021. Hofstra first played Seton Hall on Feb. 24, 2002. Hofstra played Cornell University one time in March 2020.
The University of Virginia was in the 2024 NCAA Championship. In the Knoxville Regional, they ultimately fell short to the University of Tennessee. Virginia is ranked 29 in the NCAA ranking for the 2025 season.
Turning to CAA play, Campbell University is one of the toughest teams in the conference. Though Hofstra did not play them in the 2024 regular season, Hofstra played them in the CAA Championships, where the Pride lost. Hofstra plays a series with them from March 28 to March 30.
For non-conference games this season, the Pride play at Fordham University on March 12, at Howard University on March 18, at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County on March 19, at Rutgers University on April 2 and at St. John’s University on April 23. Hofstra will host Saint Peter’s University on April 9.
One of the most challenging teams that Hofstra will face is the University of Delaware. According to the CAA preseason poll, they will be a hard team to play against. Hofstra hosts a three-game series against the Fightin’ Blue Hens from March 21 to March 23.
UNC-Wilmington, the reigning CAA Champions, swept the Pride as the visiting team from March 29 to March 31. This season, Hofstra will be the host from April 11 to April 13.
