CHICAGO (Jan. 25, 2022) – The Loyola University Chicago softball team is ready to hit the field again for the 2022 season. The Ramblers, led by Head Coach Alicia Abbott, have a full 49-game schedule on their plate with Missouri Valley Conference weekends making up a big chunk of those games. 
 
Before MVC play comes around, attention needs to go to tournaments. The season will officially begin for the Maroon and Gold on Feb. 11 at the JoAnne Graf Classic hosted by No. 6 Florida State University. In the first two days of competition, the Ramblers will play Mercer University followed by the Seminoles. On their final day at the tournament on Feb. 13, Loyola will play one more game against Mercer. 
 
They will then have one weekend off before packing their bags and heading to Greensboro, N.C., where they will play in the UNCG Invitational hosted by UNC Greensboro starting on Feb. 25. During their time down South, they will play the Spartans along with Bucknell, Virginia and Towson. Over the three-day tournament, the Ramblers will play Bucknell twice. 
 
From there, Loyola will move on to the Wildcat Invitational hosted by No. 15 Arizona from March 4 to March 6. They will open the first day of competition against Texas State and North Dakota, followed by two games the next day against Boise State and Iowa State. The Ramblers will close out the final day of the tournament against the Wildcats before coming back to Chicago.
 
They will have one more weekend on the road as they head to the Racer Classic hosted by Murray State from March 10 to March 12. Throughout the weekend, the Ramblers will play Murray State and St. Thomas twice while facing off against Western Illinois for one game.
 
Once they are back from this trip, Loyola will prepare for conference play. They will head south to take on Bradley for their first game of Missouri Valley Conference play with three games scheduled from March 19 to March 20. The Ramblers will go even farther south after that trip for three games against the Salukis of Southern Illinois on March 26 and March 27. 
 
After returning to Chicago, the Maroon and Gold will head to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where they will play a single game in South Bend on March 29 before hosting their first games of the season at Loyola Softball Park. The Ramblers will welcome the Purple Aces of Evansville to Rogers Park for a double header on April 2 and a single game on April 3. 
 
It won't be long before Loyola is on the road again as they head just a few miles north to Evanston to take on the No. 23 Northwestern Wildcats on April 5. They will continue their time on the road that same weekend as they head to Northern Iowa for a three-game series on April 9 and 10.
 
Following their travel days, the Ramblers will return to Loyola Softball Park for another three-game series from April 15 to April 16, this time against the Red Birds of Illinois State. Then, they will continue with Missouri Valley Conference play as they head to Valparaiso for a double header on April 20. 
 
They will close out the home schedule with three more teams over the course of two weeks. First, the Ramblers will welcome the Bears of Missouri State from April 23 to April 24 for a three-game series, followed by single game against Valparaiso on April 27. Then, the Maroon and Gold will host the Drake University Bulldogs for their final home contest on April 30 and May 1 as the team honors its seniors.
 
Finally, the Ramblers will end the regular season at Indiana State, where they will play three games on May 7 and May 8. When they return from Terre Haute, Loyola will prepare to make the trip to Springfield, Mo., for the opening round of the MVC Tournament. 
 
For more information on the team's schedule for this season, visit loyolaramblers.com.