Softball season is a month away, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is set to begin its campaign at home for the first time since 2018.
Opening day is set for Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. when the Lady Lions will host Quinnipiac (Conn.) in the first game of a three-game weekend series. UAPB will then host a doubleheader the following Saturday against Western Illinois.
These five games will be among the 24 total UAPB will play at the Torii Hunter Softball Complex, matching last season's total.
UAPB will host four additional nonconference games against Division I foes in Pine Bluff with a doubleheader against Saint Francis (Pa.) set for March 6 and a doubleheader against Jackson State scheduled March 20.
Jackson State's trip to Pine Bluff will come after UAPB travels to Jackson for two games each against the Tigers and Mississippi Valley State on Feb. 24 and 25. The Lady Lions will then head to Langston, Okla., for a tournament.
UAPB will face one in-state Division I opponent this year at Central Arkansas on April 3. UAPB's non-Division I in-state opponents will be Central Baptist and Ouachita Baptist, which will each play in doubleheaders in Pine Bluff.
SWAC play opens March 8-9 when UAPB hosts reigning conference champion Prairie View A&M. UAPB will also host SWAC series against Alcorn State, Grambling State and Texas Southern with road series against Texas Southern, Southern, Alcorn State and Prairie View.
The SWAC tournament is set for May 7-10 in Gulfport, Miss. UAPB last reached the postseason in 2019.