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BLACKSBURG - Virginia Tech head softball coach Scot Thomas Tuesday released the 2012-13 softball schedule, one that features several top-notch tournaments and another challenging slate of non-conference contests to go with the always-tough Atlantic Coast Conference slate.

The Hokies will open the 2013 campaign the weekend of Feb. 8-10 at the Dot Richardson National Collegiate Softball Invitational in Clermont, Fla. The next weekend, Tech will head to Troy, Ala., for a tournament hosted by Troy University, alma mater of pitching coach Barb Sherwood. After a single game at Radford on Feb. 20, the Hokies will head to Kennesaw State’s tournament for a homecoming for sophomore all-region player Kelsey Mericka. Tech will finish out February christening Elon’s new softball stadium on Feb. 28.

The month of March begins with Tech’s first scheduled home date, a contest with UNCG on March 6. Tech will then head west for its annual Spring Break trip, playing in a tournament hosted by Long Beach State and then the highly regarded Judi Garmin Classic in Fullerton, Calif.. This trip will provide senior Jasmin Harrell (Irvine), junior Dani Anderson (Rio Linda) and freshman Kiara Ota (Irvine) a chance to play in front of friends and family. The Judi Garmin is considered one of the best tournaments in the country and this year, teams such as Texas, Arizona State, Arizona, Washington, DePaul, Louisiana-Lafayette, Oklahoma and Michigan are competing.

The Hokies return home after the trip and jump right into ACC play, hosting NC State. Tech will also host defending ACC champ Georgia Tech, Florida State and Maryland this season while travelling to Boston College, North Carolina and Virginia.

Other non-conference games include a doubleheader at Tech Softball Park against Kent State on March 26, a doubleheader at James Madison University on April 10, a home doubleheader against Longwood on April 17, a home game against Radford on April 24 and a doubleheader at Liberty on April 30.

The 2013 ACC Softball Championship will be held May 9-11 in Tallahassee, Fla., at Dr. JoAnne Graf Field on the campus of Florida State University. Last season, the Hokies advanced to the championship game and earned their fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Tech will also play two fall tournaments, tentatively set for Sept. 15&16 in Blacksburg and Sept. 29&30 at the Botetourt Sports Complex in Botetourt, Va.

The full schedule can be found here. Times and opponents for tournaments will be added when they become available.

For updates on Virginia Tech softball, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Softball).