In their final season in the Pac-12 Conference, the new-look Washington Huskies Softball team will be rocking with a much younger lineup for the 2024 season.

After the departure of transfers and graduate students UW will be decidedly younger.

Although it may be fair to expect a slight decrease in offensive production this season, there is still a very high ceiling for a promising squad to build on the success of last season.

With the emergence of aces Ruby Meylan and Lindsay Lopez returning in the circle for the Huskies, the pitching staff has the potential to be even stronger than last season and will help carry the load for the youngsters in the lineup.

In the final season before heading to the Big-10, Washington has a chance to exit the conference with a bang and will aspire to come out on top as champions.

Predicting the 2024 Softball Schedule

Just over two months away from the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge that begins on February 8, here’s RealDawg’s look at the Huskies’ upcoming schedule and how they  match up following a fifth-place finish in the Women’s College World Series a year before.

These are our way-to-early predictions as we truly won’t know what to expect out of the Huskies until the regular season begins.

February

Puerto Vallarta College Challenge:

Nebraska (February 8th)

Utah Valley (February 9th)

Oklahoma (February 9th)

Iowa State (February 10th)

Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational:

Kentucky (February 16th)

Minnesota (February 16th)

Wisconsin (February 17th)

LSU (February 17th)

North Carolina (February 18th)

Out-of-Conference Matchup:

Florida Gulf Coast (February 20th)

USF Tournament:

Oklahoma State (February 22nd)

South Florida (February 22nd)

Pittsburgh (February 23rd)

Loyola Chicago (February 23rd)

Yale (February 24th)

Jane Sanders Classic: 

Mount St. Mary’s (February 29th)

Maryland (February 29th)

The Huskies face a grueling February to start the season, with big matchups against Oklahoma, Kentucky, LSU, and Oklahoma State. Last season, the Huskies had a strong start in February, finishing 13-3 with two ranked losses and an upset loss to McNeese State. 

I expect Washington to finish the month 13-4 this year with a couple of close losses and a similar upset. Given many games are double headers, we may see some fatigue from the pitching staff that could allow some games to get out of hand. A strong start will be key for a Washington team looking for back-to-back appearances in the WCWS.

The production on offense will be a question mark with many new batters coming into the everyday lineup, but given the bats got off to a hot start last season, we can expect a lot of the same from this squad and the familiar faces returning.

March

Jane Sanders Classic:

Mount St. Mary’s (March 1st)

Florida State (March 2nd)

Pac-12 Play

Arizona State (March 8-10)

Arizona (March 15-17)

UCLA (March 22-24)

Oregon State (March 28-30)

An exciting WCWS rematch against Florida State will be circled on the Huskies’ calendar as they’ll certainly want revenge after taking defeat last postseason. Last season, Washington started off strong in Pac-12 play despite facing three different ranked opponents, finishing 6-3 and 13-3 on the month. 

With difficult matchups ahead, Washington will be relieved to put the double headers behind them and allow the pitching staff to be as fresh as possible. With UCLA returning a lot of talent from last season, they will likely win the series against the Huskies while the Huskies come out on top in the remaining three.

The Huskies should go no worse than 9-5 in this March stretch, sweeping Oregon State while taking two of three from Arizona and Arizona State. ASU always seems to pick up upset wins against us, and it truly is a coin flip against Florida State. If Washington can head into April with a 22-9 record, they will be close to their pace from last year.

April

Oregon (April 5-7)

Out-of-Conference Matchups:

Seattle U (April 8th)

Boise State (April 10th)

Pac-12 Play

California (April 19-21)

Stanford (April 26-29)

I believe that April is when the Huskies will be at their best. Last season, after a rocky start against Arizona State, Washington picked up the pieces and finished 10-4. Although it faces a much more difficult schedule this season, Washington will be up for the challenge.

The offense clicked against Cal last season and we can expect much of the same this year. With Oregon always being a tough matchup, the Huskies finished on top last year 

Washington will win the series against Oregon and sweep California while taking at least one from Stanford. With a pair of out of conference  games in the middle, the Huskies can come out with an 8-3 record in April heading into May.

May

Utah (May 3-5)

Washington concludes the season against Utah, the team they eliminated from the WCWS a year ago. Although Utah will be fired up for a rematch against Washington, the Huskies have the advantage in the circle and will look to take that series 2-1.

Overall, the Huskies are capable of finishing the regular season with a 32-13 record, give or take a few wins and losses here and there. The Huskies were 31-2 in the regular season when the offense produced more than four runs in a game, with an improved pitching staff after its success last season, you can expect similar results if the offense discovers its groove and delivers offensively.

Anything over 30 wins will be a very successful season for this Washington roster.  However, the sky is the limit with a stellar pitching staff and explosive lineup offensively.