LAS CRUCES, N.M. - To be the best, you have to beat the best, and the NM State softball squad will have every opportunity to do so in their 34 game schedule.

"We are so grateful to our administration and state government for supporting us and finding ways to help our student athletes train, compete and stay safe in these unprecedented times," head coach Kathy Rodolph said. "While we wish we could open our season in front of our fans, opening in Florida against some great competition is something we are very excited about." 

The Aggies will begin their season on Friday, Feb. 12 at The Spring Games in Leesburg, Fla., as they will play four games on opening weekend against Middle Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Liberty. The Aggies will continue their month-long trip in the Sunshine State as they will face 21st-ranked UCF in a three game series on Feb.19-21. The Aggies will then head back to The Spring Games where they will play two games against 13th-ranked Kentucky along with games against Florida International and Stetson on Feb. 26-28. The Aggies will take on third-ranked Florida in a midweek matchup in Gainesville, Fla., on March 3. A week later, the Aggies will face the South Florida Bulls before heading back home.

The Aggies will then head to Phoenix, Ariz., for the GCU Invitational on March 19-21 where they will face Idaho State and Southern Utah. The Aggies will play a mid-week game against Portland State on March 23 before beginning back-to-back conference series against Seattle U in Seattle, Wash. and a home series with Grand Canyon. The site for Aggie "home" games have not been announced.

The Aggies will take a weekend off from conference play when they travel to Tucson to face third-ranked Arizona in a two game series. The Aggies will also have the unique opportunity to play the Mexican National Team in Tucson in two exhibition matches.

The Aggies will round out the season with conference series against Tarleton State, Dixie State, Utah Valley and California Baptist. The WAC Tournament is scheduled for May 13-15 and will be hosted by Seattle U. 

The Aggies return a solid core from the 2020 season led by redshirt senior Nikki Butler and redshirt freshman Matalasi Faapito. Butler hit a career-high .419 in 23 games for the Aggies. Faapito returns as a key threat both in the batter's box and on the mound hitting .403 with seven home runs and 23 RBI and making 10 starts with a 4-4 record on the mound.

"We felt we were on the verge of something special last season when the pandemic hit. I see how much passion our team has right now to compete," Rodolph said. "I expect us to have some growing pains, as we continue this life in the pandemic."

For any schedule updates, be sure to follow @NMStateSoftball on Twitter.

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