SAN FRANCISCO – Many of the faces may be new, but the work ethic is stronger than ever for Academy of Art University softball in 2017. Head coach Sonja Garnett, now in her third season at the program's helm, has seen a variety of Urban Knights lead by example and the team's relentless drive to work as a single unit figures to make the upcoming year one to watch.

Growth and development were prevalent throughout the 2016 Academy of Art University softball season. A youthful team persevered through one of the most challenging schedules the program has seen, splitting often, winning six of its first seven Pacific West Conference games, and even breaking ART U's home runs record to upset the highest ranked team faced since 2011.For more on the Knights' accomplishments last year, click here!

ART U's 52-game schedule begins with a homestand at the start of February, moves into the Cactus Classic Tournament in Arizona, returns for the PacWest opener in the Bay Area, hits Southern California for a challenging eight-game swing, transitions into April with the Tournament of Champions in Turlock, and eventually finishes on the road at 2015 NCAA Champion runner-up Dixie State in late April. For more on the Knights' 2017 schedule, click here!

The anticipation of inclement weather has modified the start to the Urban Knights' 2017 schedule as Opening Day is now Wednesday, Feb. 1 (Live Stats) hosting San Francisco State. That 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. doubleheader will be followed by a pair against Cal State East Bay on Friday, Feb. 3 (Live Stats) once again at Mission Blue Field. All games are subject to change.

The 2017 Academy of Art senior class is the largest it has been since 2013 with outfielders Jessica West, Hallie Curtis, and Mariah Latham combining with pitchers Hunter Allen and Alexa Peters. West had a memorable junior year, finishing on the All-PacWest Second Team and capturing her first career PacWest Player of the Week award after she hit two home runs in the Knights' 8-7 upset of No. 16 California Baptist on Apr. 21.

ART U's two juniors, infielder Samantha Klune and pitcher Brenna Mitchell, were both All-PacWest Team honorees as freshmen and each continued to progress as sophomores last year. Klune hit .276 with three home runs and 19 runs batted in while Mitchell was again the team's ace, posting a 3.47 earned run average through more than 145 innings pitched.

Academy of Art offers a five-part sophomore class made up of individuals who each made contributions in more than half of the team's games last season. Infielders Juliana Lopez and Brenna Youngquist join catcher Taylor Ah Mook Sang as well as pitcher/utility Katie Tablada and pitcher True Park for their respective second collegiate seasons. Lopez and Youngquist both hit over .310 for the Urban Knights in 2016 and combined for 40 runs scored along with 54 runs batted in.

Making up the program's largest freshman class to date is a collection of multi-talented individuals. Catchers include Ryia Grant (Edward C. Reed High) along with redshirt freshmen Austyn Matlick (Tahoma Senior High) and Adrianna Rupright. Rupright played five games for ART U in 2016 before a season-ending injury. Infielder Dominique Seva'aetasi (Stevenson School) joins utilities Freddie Carrillo (Piedmont Hills High) and Gracie Sotomayor (Cesar E. Chavez High) around the diamond while Gabi Hirsch (Huntington Beach High) adds speed in the outfield. Pitcher Hannah Rose Balke figures to make an immediate impact in the circle, coming in as a four-year varsity letter winner from Oak Park High.

Having worked hard through the fall and this spring, ART U Softball will stand united this Wednesday, interlocked as a single chain.