Amy Hogue, Utah Announce 2024 Schedule

The following release information was issued by Utah and information and photos courtesy of Utah…

2024 Schedule

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The 2024 schedule for the defending Pac-12 Tournament and Salt Lake City Super Regional Champion University of Utah softball team was officially announced by head coach Amy Hogue and it will include 54 total games, including 20 home contests, before the postseason begins on May 8 in Stanford, Calif., the site of the second edition of the Pac-12 Tournament.

“As I look at our schedule,” said Hogue, “it’s definitely bittersweet. Our last go in the Pac-12 is going to bring all the feels. The move to the Pac-12 was something that helped us to attract a different level athlete and it’s been a great thing to help us to build upon our program.

“I plan to enjoy this last year playing against some of the best softball programs in the country. I’m assuming each trip to a Pac-12 venue will hit different since it’s the last time we will be conference foes. The schedule we have will once again give us a great opportunity to be prepared for a run at a national title.”

Utah’s list of regular season opponents includes nine teams that ended 2023 nationally ranked and 14 squads who earned a spot in last year’s NCAA Tournament. The Utes will also be playing ball in five different states and making their first trip to Mexico since 2020 for the Puerto Vallarta Challenge.

For the first time on record, the Utes will begin a season in Florida, with 2024’s first pitch being thrown in Clearwater at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, where Utah will take the field five times in three days, starting with two contests on Feb. 9. The new year will commence with a matchup against the Army Black Knights at 1 p.m. ET (11 a.m. MT), followed by a 4 p.m. ET tilt with the Missouri Tigers. On Feb. 10, the Utes will lock horns with Notre Dame and N.C. Central before concluding their time in The Sunshine State by meeting Iowa on Feb. 11.

The second non-conference tournament on the docket for Utah will be in Puerto Vallarta, where they’ll play five more times from Feb. 15 – 18. Day one in Mexico will see the Utes square off with Auburn and South Carolina, followed one day later by a bout with Clemson, then a Saturday showdown against Mississippi State and a Sunday date with UC San Diego.

For the third straight year, the Utes will be taking part in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., where they’ll participate in five contests from Feb. 23 – 25. Cal Poly and San Diego will be Utah’s foes on the tournament’s opening day, then the Utes will square off with Seattle and Wisconsin on Saturday before capping the classic by encountering Nebraska.

One week after their meeting in California, the Utes and Badgers will reconvene in St. George, Utah for two tussles on March 2 and one more on March 3 at a tournament hosted by Utah Tech. March 3 will also include a matchup with the Trailblazers and Utah will face Utah Tech again one day later before visiting the San Diego State Aztecs on March 6.

Pac-12 Conference competition will begin for Hogue’s squad on March 8 with a three-game set in Los Angeles versus UCLA before the Utes open the Dumke Family Softball Stadium for the first time in 2024 on March 15 against Oregon. Utah’s series with the Ducks will be followed by a March 18 home game against BYU, the Cougars’ first trip to Salt Lake City since 2018, and the Utes will also host Boise State on March 20.

After traveling to Stanford for three games from March 22 – 24, Utah will start a stretch of eight straight contests in their home park with a March 26 engagement with Southern Utah. That homestand will also include series against California and Arizona sandwiched around a mid-week clash with Utah State.

The last month of the Utes’ regular season alternates between stints on the road and at home and includes an April 24 visit from Baylor and three games with Washington from May 1 – 3 to close out conference play.

Utah will have the opportunity to defend its Pac-12 Tournament crown at Stanford’s Boyd & Jill Family Stadium, the site of the 2024 tournament, which will be held May 8 – 11. The NCAA Tournament will begin one week later and culminate in the 2024 Women’s College World Series, which will be held May 30 – June 7 in Oklahoma City.

“This team will be as prepared as ever to win on day one,” said Hogue. “February can’t come soon enough.”

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