Bailee Richardson
Daniel Wilson

Softball

Softball Heads to Florida to Open 2022 Season

ATLANTA – With a five-game trip to Florida scheduled to start the 2022 season, the Georgia State softball team will open the season on Friday at the Stetson Lead Off Classic in DeLand, Fla.

As the season gets underway with a new coaching staff, including head coach Angie Nicholson, the Panthers are looking to build off a COVID-19 shortened season that saw the team play just 46 games last year.

Nicholson was announced as the Panthers new head coach last July after five years as the head softball coach at Hampton. Nicholson had a magical start to the 2020 season for the Lady Pirates was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic which unfortunately led into the program not playing the 2021 season. Hampton started 15-4 and had wins over a pair of teams picked to win their conference in DePaul (Big East) and George Washington (Atlantic 10).

Georgia State's season officially gets underway on Friday afternoon at 12:30 p.m., facing Indiana State. As soon as that game ends, the Panthers will face host Stetson at 3 p.m.

On Saturday, play gets underway at 10:30 a.m., once again facing Indiana State, before a 12:30 p.m., first pitch against Delaware.

The weekend concludes on Sunday facing the host Hatters one more time at noon.

Georgia State is 1-2 all-time against Indiana State with the last match-up coming in 2009. Georgia State and Stetson have a long history as conference foes having previously faced each other 40 times with the Hatters holding a 24-16 lead in the all-time series. Georgia State and Delaware were also former conference foes with the two schools squaring off 24 times. The Panthers lead that all-time series 18-6.

The Panthers are led by Preseason All-Sun Belt Team members Daisy Hess and Emily Brown.

Hess, GSU's starting shortstop, started all 46 games last year while batting .331 as a sophomore. Brown, who patrols the outfield, batted .335 while also starting all 46 games last season.

Georgia State's two games with Stetson are scheduled to air on ESPN+, while the other three games will be played on Stetson's YouTube Channel, HatterVision. Live stats of all five games are expected to be available.

Following this weekend's play, Georgia State will return to action on Wednesday traveling to Cullowhee, N.C., for a doubleheader with Western Carolina at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
 
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Players Mentioned

Emily Brown

#19 Emily Brown

OF
5' 6"
Freshman
L/R
Daisy Hess

#22 Daisy Hess

IF
5' 10"
Freshman
R/R

Players Mentioned

Emily Brown

#19 Emily Brown

5' 6"
Freshman
L/R
OF
Daisy Hess

#22 Daisy Hess

5' 10"
Freshman
R/R
IF