NEW ROCHELLE, NY – Iona College softball head coach Katie Jansson announced the team's 2020 schedule. The Maroon & Gold prep for Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play with four non-conference tournaments in various locations along the East Coast. 
 
The 2020 campaign opens in Conway, SC on February 21, when Iona plays two neutral site contests against UMBC and Seton Hall. The Retrievers won the America East Championship last season, finishing the regular season at 30-24 overall while the Pirates wrapped up 2019 at an even 24-24 overall.
 
On day two of the 2020 Chanticleer Showdown, the Gaels again face UMBC before playing host Coastal Carolina later in the afternoon. The Chanticleers' 2019 season ended with a loss to top-seeded Louisiana Lafayette in the Sun Belt Championship game. Iona wraps up its first non-conference tournament of the year the next day with another matchup against Seton Hall.
 
From March 6–8, Iona will play at the Towson University Tournament in Maryland. The Gaels battle with La Salle and Stony Brook on the first day, then La Salle and the host Tigers on Saturday. 
 
The Seawolves knocked off No. 1 seeded UMass Lowell before falling in the conference championship to UMBC last season. La Salle ended 2019 at 12-33 overall, while Towson concluded regular season play at .500 (27-27). Towson and Iona face off on March 8 to close the weekend.
 
The following weekend, Iona travels further south for the Mercer University Tournament in Georgia. Iona takes on Florida A&M, Western Carolina and host Mercer on March 13-15. FAMU was the only team of the three to finish above .500 last season. Mercer topped Western Carolina in the Southern Conference Tournament a season prior before falling to top-seeded UNCG in the league's championship tilt.
 
Iona plays four games against to be announced opponents at the Sacred Heart University Tournament on March 21 and 22, before another non-conference tune-up at Fordham. The Rams were named 2019 A-10 Co-Champions and represented the league in the NCAA Tournament.
 
MAAC play begins at Walsh Field on March 28, when Iona hosts a doubleheader against Marist. The next day, Rider visits New Rochelle for two games beginning at noon. 
 
Iona hosts Wagner for a mid-week pair of games on April 1 before heading to Connecticut for contests with Quinnipiac and Fairfield. The Gaels swept the Bobcats on senior day last season, but fell victim twice to the Stags the day before in 2019.
 
The Maroon & Gold play six games in a eight-day stretch, including at Walsh Field. Iona hosts LIU on April 8 at 3 p.m. and then welcomes reigning league champion Monmouth for two games on April 11. Iona and Stony Brook meet for a second time in 2020 on April 14, at University Field in Stony Brook, NY. The Gaels return home two days later for a two-game set with Fairleigh Dickinson, which will be Iona's last home contest of the month.
 
On April 18, the Gaels travel to the Bronx for a doubleheader at Manhattan. Sandwiched between the Jaspers and Iona's trip to Buffalo is a pair of non-conference games at Central Connecticut State University on April 22. The Maroon & Gold meet Niagara and Canisius on April 26 and 27, and wrap up non-conference action at St. John's on April 29.
 
The 2020 regular season concludes at Donald E. Walsh Field when Iona hosts doubleheaders against Siena and Saint Peter's on May 2 and 3. The Gaels took three of four against the Saints and the Peacocks in 2019, highlighted by sophomore Kara Zazzaro's no-hitter in Jersey City, NJ.
 
The 2020 MAAC Championship will take place on May 6-9 at the top-seeded team's venue. Sophomore Jessica Chilcott and senior Ciarra DiGuilio were named to the All-Tournament Team last season.
 
Jansson returns a plethora of talent to her roster, including three All-MAAC honorees and the 2017 MAAC Pitcher of the Year, Alana Evans, who sat out last season with an injury. Iona added three freshmen to the roster over the summer who will look to have an immediate impact for the Maroon & Gold.

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