via Stetson press release   Eleven home games, including contests with Fresno State, Marquette, and Jacksonville, highlight Stetson’s 2019 lacrosse schedule. “I’m really excited about our schedule this year,” Leach said. “We have great balance in the schedule. Having just one game a week for the first seven or eight weeks will allow us to focus on just one game at a time and that should help us prepare and grow over the early part of the season.” The Hatters open the new campaign at home on Feb. 10 vs. Quinnipiac and follow that contest with a game against Monmouth (Feb. 16). Other non-conference home games for the Hatters include contests against Fresno State (Mar. 3), Marquette (Mar. 10), Bryant (Mar. 17), Furman (Mar. 29), Wofford (Mar. 31), and Cincinnati (Apr. 25). The Hatters hit the road for just three non-conference contests this season. Those games include Arizona State (Feb. 24), Delaware State (Apr. 13) and Mercer (Apr. 18). ASUN Conference play this year has the Hatters facing a pair of league newcomers as well as the usual league competition. Stetson opens conference play at ASUN newcomer Liberty on March 24. Fellow newcomer Kent State – a brand new program overall — provides the Hatters with their conference home opener on April 5. Home games with Coastal Carolina (Apr. 7) and Jacksonville (Apr. 28), and road contests at Howard (Apr. 12) and Kennesaw State (Apr. 20) round out the conference slate. Overall, Leach loves what the 2019 schedule provides for the Hatters. “It’s a really good balance of teams and conferences,” Leach said. “We get the opportunity to face a lot of newer opponents this year while also going up against some familiar faces. Overall, it’s a strong schedule for our program.” The ASUN Tournament makes a venue change this season as Coastal Carolina will serve as the host in 2019. The tournament features the ASUN’s top four teams and runs May 2 and 4 in Conway, S.C. About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University’s Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.