GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum head softball coach Julie Huebner has released her team's 2018 schedule, which begins with a home doubleheader against Lees-McRae on Tuesday, February 6 at Red Edmonds Field.

The Pioneers will play a 55-game regular season schedule against 28 opponents, 17 of which finished with winning records in 2017 and four that won their respective conference tournament championships. Eight of the Tusculum opponents participated in last year's NCAA Division II Softball Championship tournament.

Tusculum finished 28-25 last season and tied for sixth in the South Atlantic Conference with a 10-10 league record. The Pioneers have finished .500 or better in four of Huebner's first five seasons as head coach, totaling 132 wins over that span.

The Pioneers will play their first two of 25 home games on Tuesday, Feb. 6 against Lees-McRae. The Bobcats finished 15-34 overall last season and went 6-16 in Conference Carolinas, placing them in a tie for eighth place in the league. Tusculum owns a 26-7 advantage in the all-time series, splitting last year's doubleheader with Lees-McRae at home.

Tusculum will head out on the road for a two-stop swing starting Saturday, Feb. 10 at Claflin. The Panthers earned a berth in the NCAA tournament after winning the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships, finishing 34-14 overall and 18-2 in the league. The doubleheader is the first-ever meeting between Tusculum and Claflin.

Following the Claflin doubleheader, the Pioneers will travel to Francis Marion to face the Patriots on Sunday, Feb. 11. Francis Marion finished 27-22 overall last year and tied for eighth place in the Peach Belt Conference at 9-15 in the league. The Patriots swept the Pioneers in Greeneville last season to extend their lead in the all-time series to 10-4 with one tie.

The Pioneers make a stop back home on Wednesday, Feb. 14 to host Concord, out of the Mountain East Conference. The Mountain Lions were 30-28 overall last season and finished in fourth place in the South Division with a 17-13 mark. Tusculum has won all five previous meetings with Concord, including a pair of wins in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina during the 2013 season.

Tusculum heads to South Carolina for a weekend swing starting Saturday, Feb. 17 at Converse. The Valkyries are coming off a 5-33 season last year and a 3-19 mark in Conference Carolinas, and will be playing the Pioneers for the first time. On Sunday, Feb. 18, the Pioneers will square off with 2017 NCAA tournament participant Limestone. The Saints finished in second place in the conference with a 17-3 record, but earned an at-large NCAA bid en route to a 45-13 finish. The Pioneers have a 24-23 edge all-time over the Saints, but Limestone swept Tusculum in Greeneville in last year's meeting.

On Wednesday, Feb. 21 the Pioneers play their third straight doubleheader against a Conference Carolinas opponent when North Greenville pays a visit to Red Edmonds Field. The Crusaders were 17-5 and finished third in the conference last year, but captured the tournament title and grabbed a bid to the NCAA tournament as part of a 36-19 overall record. The Pioneers lead the all-time series with the Crusaders 14-8, with a split on the road in last year's matchup.

Another weekend of doubleheaders starts on Saturday, Feb. 24 as the Pioneers take to the road to visit Lander. The Bearcats compiled a 21-29 overall record last year and went 9-15 in the Peach Belt Conference to finish in a tie for eighth place. The teams split in their last meeting in Greeneville in 2015, leaving the Bearcats with a 9-8 lead in the all-time series. On Sunday, Feb. 25, Tusculum hosts Glenville State in an all-Pioneers matchup. Glenville State went 13-36 overall last year and 7-23 in the Mountain East Conference to finish 12th overall. Tusculum has won three of the four meetings with Glenville State, most recently in 2013.

The Pioneers close out the month of February with a visit to Lee on Wednesday, Feb. 28. The Flames snagged an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament after going 36-20 overall and 19-13 in the Gulf South Conference for a sixth-place finish in the league. The Flames lead the Pioneers 23-15 in the all-time series, including a doubleheader sweep in the last meeting in 2015.

For the first time since 2012, the Pioneers will travel to Dahlonega, Georgia to participate in a two-day, round-robin event hosted by North Georgia. The Pioneers will square off with Flagler and the host Nighthawks both Saturday and Sunday, March 3 and 4. Flagler and North Georgia met in the Peach Belt Conference finals last year, with the Nighthawks earning the championship and snaring an NCAA tournament berth. North Georgia finished 48-13 overall and 20-4 in the conference, while the Saints were 37-19 overall and 18-6 in the league for a third-place finish. North Georgia leads the all-time series with Tusculum by an 8-1 margin, while Flagler split a doubleheader at home with Tusculum last year and has won two of three meetings all-time.

The early-season road grind for the Pioneers comes to an end on Wednesday, March 7 with a doubleheader at King. The Tornado were 32-19 overall last season and placed fifth in Conference Carolinas with a 15-5 league record. The Pioneers have ruled the all-time series with the Tornado, leading by a 37-8 margin even after last year's doubleheader split.

A stretch of 11 consecutive home games begins on Friday, March 9 when the Pioneer Classic gets underway at Red Edmonds Field. The Pioneers will play five games against three opponents during the three-day event, starting on Friday with a pair against Belmont Abbey. The Crusaders were 10-30-2 overall last season and 6-16 in Conference Carolinas, finishing in a tie for eighth place. Tusculum leads the all-time series 3-2, including a win in 2014 in the latest meeting between the schools.

On Saturday, March 10 the Pioneers will host both Virginia-Wise and Goldey-Beacom for single games. The Cavaliers captured an NCAA tournament berth last season after finishing in second place in the Mountain East with a 36-19 overall record and a 22-18 league mark. The Lightning were 17-32 overall last season and finished fifth in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference with a 14-12 record. The Pioneers lead the all-time series with the Cavaliers by a 14-3 margin, including two wins in 2016, while Tusculum beat Goldey-Beacom in the only previous meeting in the 2016 Pioneer Classic. Tusculum and Goldey-Beacom will play a second game on Sunday, March 11 to wrap up the Classic.

The final non-conference doubleheader before the start of league play is the Pioneers' first-ever meeting with New Haven on Tuesday, March 13. The Chargers were 30-16 overall and 18-8 in the Northeast 10 last year, finishing in third place in the Southwest Division and fourth overall.

Tusculum will begin its 20-game South Atlantic Conference schedule with a visit from Lenoir-Rhyne on Sunday, March 18. The Bears were 46-13 overall last year and tied for first place in the SAC with Carson-Newman at 16-4. The Bears were ranked fifth in the Division II poll when they swept a doubleheader from the Pioneers at home last year, then added a win in the SAC Tournament to increase their lead in the all-time series to 42-7.

The Pioneers will host Mars Hill on Wednesday, March 21 in a renewal of the longtime rivalry between the cross-mountain neighbors. The Lions were 12-30 overall last year and finished in 10th place in the SAC with a 5-15 record. Tusculum swept Mars Hill on the road last season and now leads the all-time series over Lions by a 39-23 spread.

Back on the road, the Pioneers will head to Coker to face the Cobras on Saturday, March 24. Coker vaulted to the upper echelon of the SAC last year, going 41-17 overall and taking fourth place with a 13-7 league record. The Cobras and Pioneers split a twinbill in Greeneville at the beginning of April last season, then the Cobras eliminated the Pioneers from the SAC Tournament to level the all-time series at seven wins apiece.

Perennial SAC contender Anderson is next up for the Pioneers on the road, on Tuesday, April 27. The Trojans finished fifth in the SAC a year ago at 12-8 in the league and 34-16 overall, with a walkoff home run from the Pioneers in game two securing a split of the doubleheader with Anderson. The teams have played even over the year, with each winning 11 times in the all-time series.

Tusculum will welcome Catawba to Red Edmonds Field on Friday, March 30 as the first half of conference play comes to an end. The Indians tumbled to the bottom of the SAC standings in 2017, finishing 11-40 overall and 2-18 in the conference for an 11th-place finish. A sweep of the Indians on the road last year cut Catawba's lead in the series over Tusculum to 22-20.

The Pioneers journey to Wingate to face the Bulldogs on Saturday, April 7. Wingate tied with Tusculum for sixth place in the SAC at 10-10, including a doubleheader sweep at Red Edmonds Field, but the Pioneers knocked the Bulldogs out of the SAC Tournament to end their season with a 23-25 record. Wingate has the edge in the all-time series with Tusculum by a 37-6 margin.

On Wednesday, April 11 the Pioneers will host defending SAC Tournament champion Carson-Newman. The Eagles were 16-4 in the conference to share the league title with Lenoir-Rhyne, then grabbed the tournament championship and an NCAA berth before finishing at 41-13 overall. Carson-Newman swept Tusculum at home last season and has a 39-11 lead in the series over the Pioneers.

Tusculum will visit Newberry on Saturday, April 14. The Wolves finished third in the SAC a year ago at 14-6 in conference play and 33-16 overall, splitting their doubleheader with the Pioneers on the road and leaving the all-time series deadlocked at 20 wins apiece.

The final week of the regular season begins on Wednesday, April 18 at Lincoln Memorial. The Railsplitters compiled a 23-22 overall record and finished tied for eighth in the SAC standings with a 6-14 conference record. LMU and Tusculum split a doubleheader in Greeneville at the end of March last season, keeping the Railsplitters on top in the all-time series by 45 wins to 27 for the Pioneers.

The conference schedule concludes on Saturday, April 21 when Queens University of Charlotte comes to Red Edmonds Field. The Royals tied for eighth place with Lincoln Memorial in the SAC last year at 6-14, and went 21-29 overall. Tusculum picked up a doubleheader sweep on the road last year to even the all-time series at four wins apiece.

The regular season will wrap up on Sunday, April 22 when the Pioneers head to Milligan to face the Buffaloes. Milligan went 21-23 overall last season and finished 10-10 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. The teams split a doubleheader to close out the 2017 regular season, and the Pioneers have a 40-29-1 advantage in the all-time series with the Buffs.

The SAC Championship tournament will utilize a new format this year, as the top eight finishers will meet at Anderson for a two-day, single-elimination tournament on April 27 and 28. The winner will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament, which begins May 11 at regional sites, continues at super regional sites on May 18 and 19, and concludes with the finals at Salem, Virginia from May 24 to 28.