KINGSTON, R.I. - After a 12-day layoff, Rhode Island will return to action with five games at the Bulls Invitational hosted by South Florida.

All games with be played at the USF Softball Stadium, which has a 1,500-seat capacity for fans. The facility includes a shade canopy, an elevated, shaded hospitality deck and service amenities. The complex was part of a 2011 $35 million USF Athletic District facility upgrades, which included construction of new baseball and softball stadiums, a state-of-the-art basketball facility, new football practice fields and a new soccer stadium.

RHODE ISLAND VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS - SERIES NOTES

• Rhode Island and Northern Illinois have face each other just one time previous.
• Northern Illinois beat the Rams 3-1 in March of 1986.
• The game was played in Columbia, South Carolina.

RHODE ISLAND VS. SOUTH FLORIDA - SERIES NOTES

• Rhode Island and South Florida have played six times, with the Bulls winning all six contests.
• The first meeting came in 2003 at the Wilson Tournament in Tampa, Fla.
• The most recent meeting was in 2009, a 7-1 USF win.
• In the six games, USF has outscored Rhode Island 47-3.

RHODE ISLAND VS. KANSAS - SERIES NOTES

• Rhode Island and Kansas have met once before.
• The Jayhawks won that game 8-0 on March 18, 2005.
• The game was played at the Sacramento State Tournament.

RHODE ISLAND VS. ARMY - SERIES NOTES

• Rhode Island leads the all-time series, 3-2.
• The series began with URI winning 6-1 and 4-3 in two games at the Army Invitational in West Point, N.Y.
• Rhody and Army have not played each other since 1999, a 5-3 Army win at the Rebel Spring Games in Orlando, Fla.

RHODE ISLAND VS. USC-UPSTATE - SERIES NOTES

• Rhode Island and USC-Upstate will be playing each other for the first time.

RHODE ISLAND NOTES

• Despite a 1-4 record through its first five games, Rhode Island has hit .292 as a team.
• Sophomore Leilyn Alvarez batted .556 (5-9) while starting three games at the Bob Heck Classic.
• She is one of seven batters hitting .300 or better for the Rams.
• Senior Skyler Rapuano (.429), senior Cassie Swenson (.417), senior Rachel Zingerman (.333), freshman Becca Zawistowksi (.333) and freshman Hannah Hernandez (.308) are all off to strong starts at the plate.
• Last season, the Rams were batting .165 as a team through the first five games of the season.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, March 3
vs. Northern Illinois, 4:30 p.m. – Live Stats
at South Florida, 7:00 p.m. – Live Stats | Watch
 
Saturday, March 4
vs. Kansas, 4:30 p.m. – Live Stats

Sunday, March 5
vs. Army, 9:00 a.m. – Live Stats
vs. USC-Upstate, 11:30 a.m. - Live Stats