Orangeburg, S.C.—For the third straight season, the SC State women's softball team will open its season on the road. The Lady Bulldogs 2011 season gets underway this weekend at the Tiny Laster's 4th Annual HBCU Classic.

The tournament, which is scheduled for Friday – Sunday, Feb. 11-13 in Atlanta, GA, will feature five teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), three from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and one from the Ohio Valley Conference. In addition to South Carolina State participants from the MEAC include Hampton University, Florida A&M, Savannah State and North Carolina A&T. The teams representing the SWAC are Grambling State University, Mississippi Valley State University, and Alcorn State University. Tennessee State will be the lone participate from the Ohio Valley Conference.

SC State, who finished 2010 with a 9-43 overall record and 3-9 in the MEAC (earning a berth in the MEAC Tournament for the first time in five seasons), will play its first game of the tournament at 1 p.m. on Saturday against Tennessee State. The Lady Bulldogs will then face Alcorn State at 3 p.m. South Carolina State will face Grambling State at 10 a.m. on Sunday and will close out the tournament against Mississippi Valley State at 2 p.m.

The Lady Bulldogs will host Western Carolina in its first home game of the 2011 season on Feb.16. First pitch of the double-header is set for 1 p.m. at Hillcrest Field in Orangeburg, S.C.