GETTYSBURG, Pa. The Gettysburg College softball team is eager and ready to play a full-length schedule for the 2022 season and defend its Centennial Conference title.
The 2021 season was not a typical year because of the limited number of games allowed to play because of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet it served as an incredible and memorable one for the Bullets. Gettysburg captured its fifth Centennial Conference title in program history and made its fourth appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs. It marked the second time in four years that the Orange and Blue claimed both the conference crown and competed on the national stage. The Bullets finished with a 13-5 overall record and a 7-3 conference mark, which included beating then-ranked No. 6 Moravian College in the NCAA Tournament. After its fantastic run in the national tournament, Gettysburg received votes in the final NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll.
After missing its annual spring trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. in 2021, Gettysburg will return in 2022 to play an eight-game schedule from March 6-11 at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic. In 2020, the Bullets recorded a 7-1 record and outscored its opponents 70-19 during the week of competition in Myrtle Beach.
Gettysburg will close out its spring trip by embarking to Ashland, Va. to take on Randolph-Macon College in a doubleheader on March 12 at noon. The Yellow Jackets maintained a top 25 ranking for most of the 2021 season. The last time the two teams played against each other was during the 2019 campaign when Gettysburg split at then-ranked No. 10 Randolph-Macon.
The Orange and Blue continue on the road for the next four games before returning for its home opener. The remaining games on the schedule are set to be doubleheaders. Gettysburg will face York College (Pa.) for the first time since the 2015 season on March 17 at 3 p.m. The Spartans earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after clinching the program’s first-ever MAC Commonwealth title in 2021. The Bullets return to Virginia for a pair of non-conference games against Shenandoah University on March 20 at 1 p.m. and the University of Mary Washington on March 26 at 1 p.m. Gettysburg swept Shenandoah in 2019 and split at Mary Washington in the season opener in 2020. The Orange and Blue open CC action at Ursinus College on April 2 beginning at 1 p.m.
The long-awaited home opener for the Bullets will be on April 5 against Franklin & Marshall College with the first pitch set for 3:30 p.m. Gettysburg heads back on the road for a pair of conference games at Muhlenberg College and McDaniel College on April 9 (1 p.m.) and April 12 (3 p.m.), respectively.
The Bullet may not have many home games in 2022, but four of the final six regular-season matchups will be played on Bobby Jones Field. Gettysburg welcomes Swarthmore College on April 16 (1 p.m.) and Dickinson College three days later at 3:30 p.m. The final conference road game will be against Washington College (Md.) on April 23 (1 p.m.), with the Bullets hosting non-conference opponent Hood College the following day at 1 p.m.
Gettysburg competes in its final non-conference tilt at Messiah University on April 28 (3 p.m.). The Bullets and Falcons last faced each other on Bobby Jones Field in 2019 with Messiah taking two from Gettysburg. The Orange and Blue conclude their regular season at home against conference foe Haverford College on April 30 at 1 p.m.
The Centennial Conference Championship will begin on Tuesday, May 3, and conclude on May 6-7. The double-elimination tournament was not held in either 2020 or 2021.
This story was originally posted on the Gettysburg College Website.
