2020 Schedule

SAN FRANCISCO – Academy of Art softball and head coach Steve Rianda have announced the Urban Knights' 52-game schedule for 2020 which will feature two tournaments, other non-conference matchups with local competition, and four-part series versus the nine other teams that make up the Pacific West Conference.

For the third straight year, ART U starts with the Montana State Billings Desert Stinger Tournament held in Las Vegas. Opening Day (Jan. 31) features matchups with Cal State San Bernardino and tourney host MSUB then it will be Simon Fraser and Saint Martin's to begin February and a morning contest versus Concordia (Ore.) on Feb. 2. Of the five teams, it is the last who had the best year in 2019 going 31-24 overall though the Knights did defeat the Cavaliers in the Tournament of Champions this past March.

When Academy of Art returns from Vegas, a road doubleheader at Cal State East Bay will be the team's first matchup on Feb. 11. One of two trips to Southern California follows with the first PacWest four-game series at Biola spanning Feb. 21-22. The Knights did not face the Eagles in 2019 as inclement Bay Area weather forced the cancelation of the series. ART U's travels continue to Sonoma State (owners of a 36-20 record last season) for a Feb. 25 twinbill in Rohnert Park before Academy of Art makes its home debut.
 
"We open up the season in Las Vegas and it has always been a challenge to start with five games in three days," said Rianda. "Then we get into games against some very strong local talent in Sonoma State and Cal State East Bay."

After not playing a home game for the first 29 days of the season, the Urban Knights spend the next two weeks at Mission Blue Field in Brisbane for 12 games including two full PacWest series. Feb. 29 marks the first doubleheader against Dominican and Mar. 5 brings Holy Names across the bay for a pair. ART U won its last six games of 2019 in matchups with those two local rivals. Then, in the yearly oscillation of home and road series with the PacWest Hawaii schools, Academy of Art will host Hawaii Pacific (Mar. 10-11) and UH Hilo (Mar. 14-15). On the islands last year, the Knights split with HPU and stood victorious in the series finale with the Vulcans.

"This year we are hoping to get in more games early in the season," said Rianda. "Weather issues really got us out of rhythm last year and, heading into conference play, we need as many games under our belt as we can. You can't practice at the same level as you can when competing against another team."

Coming off its homestand, ART U makes its way south once again to face two of the PacWest's top three teams in Azusa Pacific and Concordia (Calif.) for full four-game series. The Cougars matched UH Hilo's 2019 overall record at 31-17, but missed out on the NCAA postseason while CUI, ranked as high as No. 3 in the country last year, went 47-8 overall (30-3 in conference), won the NCAA West Regional, and ended up falling to UC San Diego in the Super Regional.

"No matter which team is stronger, playing any team in a four game series is very difficult," said Rianda. "Players need to adjust and adapt and the team that does that the best has the advantage."

Following the recent release of the Tournament of Champions slate, Academy of Art now knows they will face Humboldt State and UC San Diego on the first day in Turlock (Mar. 27) then Cal State San Marcos and Cal State Dominguez Hills on Mar. 28, and finally a Mar. 29 matchup with Chico State closes out the weekend fraught with California Collegiate Athletic Association opponents.

"The Tournament of Champions is always the big showcase of the year," said Rianda. "All the West Region teams come and we get an idea how we compare. Even seeing those we don't play allows us to get a feel of different teams' abilities."

Two days after the Tournament of Champions concludes, ART U will host its final PacWest Hawaii school, Chaminade, over Mar. 31 and Apr. 1. The Knights took three of four from the Silverswords in Waipahu last year, finishing with six home runs in the series finale. The early portion of April continues with Academy of Art facing Menlo for the first time since 2010 on Apr. 3.

All three other PacWest Bay Area opponents will cross ART U's path in the final three weeks of the regular season. Two at Notre Dame de Namur come first on Apr. 9 then the four-part series with Dominican finishes in San Rafael on Apr. 18. The Knights then host NDNU on Apr. 24 in what will be a Senior Day doubleheader before ending at Holy Names on Apr. 25.