EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State softball’s 2024 schedule was announced by second-year head coach Sharonda McDonald-Kelley on Thursday. MSU will face nine teams that appeared in an NCAA Regional last season, and two of which that advanced to Super Regionals.
The Spartans open the 2024 season in Boca Raton, Florida at the Paradise Classic on Feb. 9-11. Hosted by Florida Atlantic, Michigan State will take on Ohio, Marshall (x2), Arkansas and host FAU for five games over three days. Arkansas finished the 2023 season ranked as the No. 13 team in the country. FAU has been a staple on the Spartan schedule since 1997, with the two sides having met 29 times in the last 26 years.
MSU stays on the road the following week, Feb. 16-18, at the Maverick Invitational hosted by Texas at Arlington. While in Arlington the Spartans will meet DePaul, Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), UTA and Boise State (x2) for another five-game weekend. It’ll be the first-ever meeting against UMKC.
Michigan State concludes February and opens March with a spring break trip through the Carolinas, starting in Durham N.C. on Feb. 23-25 and wrapping up in Conway, S.C. on March 1-3. MSU will begin the trip at the Duke Invitational where it’ll face Elon (x2), Boston, Villanova and Duke. It’s the third consecutive season that Elon has appeared on the Spartan softball schedule. Duke advanced to Super Regionals last season and Boston earned its spot at a NCAA Regional after winning the Patriot League tournament.
Between its two lengthier stops on the trip, Michigan State will play at Campbell in Buies Creek, N.C. on Feb. 27 and in Wilmington, N.C. against UNC-Wilmington on Feb. 28. Campbell advanced to a third-straight NCAA Regional last season after winning the Big South Tournament. MSU’s coaching staff has many ties to both Campbell and the state of North Carolina. McDonald-Kelley was the head coach at Campbell from 2019-2022 and assistant coach Danielle Stenger coached alongside McDonald-Kelley all four seasons. Assistant coach Destini England played for McDonald-Kelley at Campbell from 2020-21. New to the staff this season, assistant coach Bethaney Wells coached at UNC-Greensboro for seven seasons.
Spring break concludes in Conway, S.C. at the Chanticleer Showdown hosted by Coastal Carolina on March 1-3. There the Spartans will take on Iona (x2),…
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