FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason softball program announced its opponents for the 2018 season. The schedule for the program's 41st collegiate season includes 54 regular season games set to begin Feb. 16 in Madeira Beach, Fla. 

2018 marks the second time in three years the Patriots will participate in the Madeira Beach Invitational, with 2016 being the other occasion. The green and gold will kick off the tournament with a doubleheader on Feb. 16 against Eastern Michigan and Lipscomb, followed by one game on Feb. 18 and 19 against Virginia and Monmouth respectively. The following weekend Mason will be on the road again in Charleston, S.C. for the Charleston Southern Tournament. The opponents in the late-Februrary showcase include a doubleheader against Hartford and host-team Charleston Southern on Feb. 23, as well as a doubleheader the following day that features an early contest against conference foe St. Bonaventure, and another game against CSU.

The Patriots return to Fairfax the weekend of Mar. 2-4 for the 14th annual Patriot classic. The teams slated to play the Patriots are Syracuse, Army and Monmouth.

Mason concludes its early tournament play hosting the Cherry Blossom Classic Mar. 10-11 with the squad hosting Cornell and Sienna.

Following doubleheaders against Bethune-Cookman (Mar. 13), Stetson (Mar. 16) and Jacksonville University (Mar. 17), the Patriots officially open A-10 play by hosting Rhode Island for a three-game series on Mar. 24-15. Mason will then close out the month with a mid-week doubleheader in Charlottesville, Va. against Virginia (Mar. 28) and by hosting another weekend series with an A-10 opponent in the opposite dugout - this time against Saint Louis Mar. 30-31.

A mid-week game on the road against Towson on April 4 begins the month for the Patriots, followed by a road weekend series in New York against the defending A-10 champions Fordham Rams (April 7-8) - the first of three straight weekends on the road. The following routine continues with a mid-week game against Georgetown in Fairfax (April 11) before returning to New York to play St. Bonaventure (April 14-15) and wrap up the road stretch against Mount St. Mary's (April 25) for the final mid-week doubleheader of the regular season.

To wrap up the regular season, the Patriots host Davidson for three games lasting April 28-29 before heading to Massachusetts to take on UMass May 5-6. The game on the 29th will be the final home game in the regular season and the team will honor Brooke Sullivan, the team's lone senior.

Should the Patriots qualify, it will be a quick turnaround to get ready fot the A-10 Tournament, scheduled for May 9-12 at Fordham.

The NCAA Tournament begins May 17 with the Regional round taking place May 17-19, the Super Regional on May 24-26 and wraps up with the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City on May 31-June 5.

The schedule in list form can be seen by clicking here.

Head coach Joe Verbanic returns to the helm for his 14th season at George Mason. This year he will have Kiana Quolas and Justin Walker as his assistants, who were most recently coaching at Youngstown State and with the Mason baseball team respectively. Quolas will work primarily as the pitching coach while Walker aim his focus toward hitting.