Florence, S.C. - This weekend, the No. 9 Adelphi University softball team finally begins the long wait of defending its NCAA Division II East Region crown with a trip to the Palmetto State for the Patriot Invitational in Florence.

Led off by a nationally-ranked showdown against No. 17 Kutztown, the Panthers head down to the Carolinas to open up their season for the second-straight year.

Kutztown, which captured a PSAC Championship in 2022, is off to a 2-1 start. The Golden Bears put up a staggering nine-spot in each of their opening two victories against West Virginia State University and UNC Pembroke on Feb. 4 and Feb. 6, respectively.

Last March, Adelphi played two close games at Francis Marion, and the re-match is set for this weekend. In a two-run game against the Patriots last year, Lindsey Hibbs recorded a then-career-high nine strikeouts.

A week-long season-opening 12-game stretch in the Carolinas will continue with a visit to UNC Pembroke, before a round-robin tournament at Coker College awaits the Panthers next weekend to conclude the trip.

In 2022, the Panthers returned from their preseason trip at 3-5, preparing the Brown and Gold for an eventual school-record 47-15 campaign that culminated with a berth to the NCAA Division II National Championship – the program's first since 2016.