MOORHEAD, Minn. -- MSU Moorhead head softball coach Mike Armitage has announced the program's schedule for the upcoming 2024 season. 

The Dragons are set to begin competition on February 3 as part of the Minot State-hosted Bubble Invite. MSUM will take on Dakota Wesleyan to begin that tournament, which will also feature matchups with Valley City State, Providence and Minot State. From there, MSUM will travel to Tucson, Ariz., to play in the four-day D2 Cactus Classic beginning on February 8 and wrapping up February 11. The Dragons will play seven games in Tucson against a variety of opponents including San Francisco State, Nebraska-Kearney, Hawaii-Hilo, Davis & Elkins, Western New Mexico and Adams State. 

MSUM will also compete at the Lewis Dome Invitational on February 22-24, which will see six more contests for the Dragons. Armitage's club will meet up with Parkside, Lewis, Wayne State (Mich.), Grand Valley State, Truman State and Upper Iowa in Rosemont, Ill. The Dragons will wrap up non-conference play on a four-day trip to the state of Missouri. MSUM will play doubleheaders with the MIAA's Lincoln (Mar. 13), Central Missouri (Mar. 14), Missouri Western (Mar. 15) and Northwest Missouri State (Mar. 16) as part of that excursion. 

The Dragons will hit NSIC play near the end of March beginning with road doubleheaders with Minnesota State (Mar. 23) and Augustana (Mar. 24). MSUM is scheduled to play their first home game on March 29 against Concordia, St. Paul before hosting Winona State (Mar. 30) and Northern State (Apr. 2). Other road doubleheaders for the Dragons this conference season will include Wayne State (Apr. 6), Sioux Falls (Apr. 7), Mary (Apr. 10), Minnesota Crookston (Apr. 27) and Bemidji State (Apr. 28). MSUM is set to host Southwest Minnesota State (Apr. 14), Minot State (Apr. 16), Minnesota Duluth (Apr. 20) and St. Cloud State (Apr. 21) in conference action in 2024.

The NSIC Softball Tournament is scheduled for May 1-4 in Sioux Falls, S.D. 

MSUM graduated just two seniors from the 2023 squad that finished 30-16 by season's end. The Dragons won their first NSIC Tournament game since 2008 in 2023 while also clinching a spot in the conference tournament for the first time since that 2008 season. Armitage was named the NSIC's Coach of the Year as MSUM improved on their 2022 record by 22 wins.