Pittsburgh Softball Preview
b'#196: \\xa0Holly Aprile, Head Coach, University of Pittsburgh. \\xa0Pitt will spend more than half of its season on the road, playing 31 of its total 42 games out of state. The remaining 11 matchups will be played at the Petersen Sports Complex and will feature four ACC showdowns. \\xa0Pitt\\u2019s schedule is highlighted with six opponents from the 2015 NCAA tournament, including five ACC rivals. Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, and Notre Dame all competed in the opening round of regionals alongside the Panthers, while Florida State and NC State reached the second round before concluding their seasons. In total, a conference-record of seven teams earned NCAA bids last season. \\xa0The Panthers kick off their spring season with four consecutive weekend road tournaments, beginning with an outing at Macon, Ga. (Feb. 12-14). Scheduled games for the weekend include matchups against St. Bonaventure, Central Michigan and host Mercer. \\xa0The second week of March marks the official start of conference play, which Pitt will begin on the road at Tech Softball Park (March 12-13). The Panthers will take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in a very familiar setting as Tech hosted the 2015 ACC Tournament, where Pitt advanced to the ACC Championship Game. \\xa0Panthers Twitter, Panthers IG,\\xa0TCRS Twitter,\\xa0TCRS Facebook'