ROSEMONT, Ill, - The IUPUI softball team will begin its 2018 season in Rosemont, Ill., playing five games over the weekend at the Total Control Sports Invitational.

First year head coach Elisabeth Beirne will guide the Jags in games against Fort Wayne, DePaul, Northern Colorado and Loyola (Ill.).

On Friday (Feb. 9), IUPUI will begin its season at 10 a.m. against former Summit League rival Fort Wayne. The Jags will then turnaround after its game with the Mastodons to take on DePaul at 12:30 p.m.

IUPUI has two more games the following day (Feb. 10), taking on Fort Wayne again 12:30 p.m. before ending the day with a meeting against Northern Colorado at 5:30 p.m.

The Jags close out the tournament with a game on Sunday at 12 p.m. against Loyola (Ill.).

IUPUI welcomes back First Team All-Summit League McKenzie Loge and All-Tournament Team performers Mandy Dallas and Delaney Thompson. The Jags will also have senior leadership from outfielders Delilah Wright and Ashley Ousley.

The pitching staff will have to be figured out as IUPUI lost all three pitchers from last year's roster. Coach Beirne will look to three transfers, Megan Overton (Boston College), Dezirae Leonard (Lake Land College) and Amanda Melzoni (St. Joseph's College) to handle the duties in the circle.

ALL TIME SERIES
vs. Fort Wayne – IUPUI holds a 19-24 record all-time against the Mastodons. The Jags have won seven of the last night meetings with Fort Wayne including taking last year's three-game series 2-1. In those seven wins, IUPUI has won six of them in less than seven innings, including a 15-4 win in five innings and a 20-6 win in five innings in the last series.

vs. DePaul – IUPUI has not won a game against DePaul in five all-time meetings. All five meetings came in the 1999 season when both teams were members of the Mid-Continent Conference.

vs. Northern Colorado – This will be the first meeting all-time between the Jags and the Bears from Greeley, Colo.

vs. Loyola (Ill.) – The Jags are 2-1 all-time against the Ramblers but those wins came in 2011 and 2014. IUPUI lost last season to Loyola in last year's Total Control Sports Invitational, 9-6.