LA JOLLA, Calif. — The UC San Diego softball's 2024 Big West conference schedule has been released, as announced Monday by the conference office.
 
Leading the team in her 32nd season, head coach Patti Gerckens and the Tritons will play nine three-game series vs. the other Big West members for a total of 27 games. Each series will feature a doubleheader and occur over two days. The slate consists of five home series and four on the road. The Tritons will host the 2023 conference champions, Long Beach State in April.

The Tritons begin their fourth season in the Big West on Mar. 16 when they host the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners. In 2023, the gold and blue took the series over the 'Runners after sweeping the doubleheader.

The Tritons also play at home against Hawai'i (March 29, 30), Long Beach State (April 6,7), UC Davis (April 20, 21) before closing out the regular season against the Cal Poly Mustangs (May 10, 11).

Road matches include UC Santa Barbara (March 23, 24), Cal State Fullerton (April 13, 14), UC Riverside (April 27, 28), and CSUN (May 4,5).

This will be UC San Diego's final season of their NCAA transition to Division I. The softball team will be eligible the following season for the 2025 postseason.

All Big West matches will feature a live broadcast on ESPN+.

In 2023, the Tritons posted an 19-33 overall record and went 9-18 in Big West action.

The 2024 squad returns several starters, including batting leader, Deena Pederson whose season was cut short due to injury last season. She finished batting an average of .398 with an on-base percentage of .453 and 16 runs. Morgan Eng returns to lend her bat at the plate as well as her 19 runs, 30 total bases, and her 35-36 stolen bases.

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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.