GEORGETOWN, TEXAS - Southwestern University Athletics announced its football program would move to the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) to start the 2023 season as an affiliate member in August 2021. Southwestern Athletics, in its entirety, is moving to the SAA beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year. The Pirates football program has locked down its schedule for the 2023 season and it will give the first look into what Pirate athletics will look like as a member of the conference.
The Pirates aren't strangers to SAA opponents, having played Hendrix and Sewanee in their eleven-year history, with their most recent victory being over the Sewanee Tigers in 2019.
The football program will kick off its 2023 campaign by taking on the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen in Thousand Oaks, California. The Pirates will play the Kingsmen in non-conference play for the third year in a row, with the all-time series tied at 1-1 thanks to a miraculous overtime victory at Birkelbach Field. Southwestern ends non-conference play against former ASC and SCAC opponent, Texas Lutheran, on September 9th at Birklebach.
Southwestern jumps into conference play on September 16th against Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas at Young-Wise Memorial Stadium. The Pirates are 0-1 against Hendrix all-time, dating back to a loss against the Warriors in the Pirate's first season as a program.
The Pirates will then trade home and away games for the rest of their conference schedule, finishing off the season with Sewanee at Birkelbach on November 11th.
2023 home game tickets can be purchased at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/tix/7040
2023 Football Schedule
9/2 at California Lutheran: TBD
9/9 vs. Texas Lutheran: 7:00 PM CST
9/16 at Hendrix*: 1:00 PM CST
9/23 vs. Birmingham Southern*: 1:00 PM CST
9/30 at Rhodes*: TBD
10/7 vs. Berry*: 1:00 PM CST
10/14 at Centre*: 1:00 PM EST
10/21 vs. Trinity*: 1:00 PM CST
10/28 BYE
11/4 at Millsaps*: 1:00 PM CST
11/11 vs. Sewanee*: 1:00 PM CST
*Southern Athletic Association Game
Home games are bolded