WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University softball team will begin its season on Friday, February 10 at the Felsburg Invitational in Miami, Fla. This will be the first of five tournaments four Head Coach Pat Conlan and the Hoyas down South.

"I am thrilled to begin play, I can't say enough about this team," said Conlan. "We have a combination of veterans and newcomers and the youth and experience have blended nicely. The work ethic, leadership, desire to learn and their willingness to do whatever it takes to get better is so admirable. They are a great group to coach and I am excited to see what we can do when we take the field this week."

In addition to the Felsburg Invitational, GU will play in the USC Upstate Classic in Spartanburg, S.C., the East Madeira Invite in East Madeira, Fla., the Texas A&M Invite in College Station, Texas, and the Lafayette Ford Lincoln of Fayetteville Showcase in Wilmington, N.C.

Senior pitcher/outfielder Delaney Osterday (Oconomowoc, Wis./Oconomowoc) spoke on the importance of these trips saying, "Coach Conlan has set the team up with a strong spring tournament schedule traveling across the southern part of the country to play teams that are known for having successful programs. Florida, Texas, and the Carolinas are all warm weather destinations that should allow us to get our games in and help prepare the team for a strong BIG EAST Conference schedule down the road."

The Hoyas start the campaign with newly-acquired depth, both in the lineup and on the mound. A team that ended the season last year with a 12-player roster has now bolstered that roster to 17 with the addition of eight freshmen. With four seniors remaining on the team since the last trip to the BIG EAST tournament, a combination of leadership and youth will look to be the driving force of success this year.

Senior infielder Alessandra Gargicevich-Almeida (Riverside, Calif./Martin Luther King) said, "As seniors, we are determined to reach our goal of getting back to the BIG EAST Tournament to end our careers the way we started them. Though we have a young team, this freshman class of eight have worked hard to get on pace. It is great to have a full team of 17 players because now we have depth at every position and numerous options for lineups."

This was echoed by senior catcher Gabriela Elvina (Edison, N.J./Bishop George Ahr). "You can just feel the energy during practice that this team is itching to touch dirt and compete. With a lot of new faces this year and nine returners, we come with extreme depth in all positions which will be key in our five tournaments this season and down the stretch. We have been working hard and fine tuning in preparation for competition against several top-notch teams like Texas A&M and FIU that will prepare us well come BIG EAST play." The Hoyas begin the season at the Felsburg Invitational hosted by Florida International in Miami, Fla. The team will face the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers on Friday, February 10 at 10 a.m. ET.