JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State softball team has finalized its 2023 schedule, one that features its final ASUN Conference slate and home dates with some old rivals and a Power 5 foe.
 
The Gamecocks will host the JSU Gamecock Invite at University Field to wrap up non-conference play on March 10-12, and will also welcome ACC power Georgia Tech for a midweek contest at University Field on April 11. JSU will host one other midweek game on March 29 against Georgia State.
 
The season will start on Feb. 10, when the Gamecocks face Florida A&M and Buffalo to open Mercer's Heart of Georgia Classic in Macon, Ga. That will start a stretch of five-straight non-conference tournaments that will occupy Jax State's weekends until ASUN Conference play begins. JSU will play in tournaments at Southern Miss, Western Kentucky and Tennessee before its home tournament.
 
The Gamecock Invite will give the Gamecocks four home games to open a seven-game homestand to start the 2023 home schedule. Jax State will play Western Michigan in the home opener on March 10 before playing Samford and WMU on March 11 and Samford again on March 12.
 
A 12-game home ASUN schedule will highlight Jax State's final season in the conference before joining Conference USA in 2024 and will begin immediately after the Gamecock Invite. The ASUN schedule opens at home against North Alabama, who will visit University Field for a three-game series on March 18-19.
 
In ASUN play, Jax State will also host series with North Florida (April 1-2), Queens (April 15-16) and Central Arkansas (April 29-30). The Gamecocks will travel to play conference series against Bellarmine (March 24-26), Stetson (April 7-8), Eastern Kentucky (April 22-23) and Austin Peay (May 5-6).
 
The Gamecocks will also play a few midweek nonconference games on the road, playing at Alabama State on March 22, at Auburn on April 19 and at Samford on May 2.