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It’s hardly a secret formula. Good pitching + good defense goes a long way on the baseball diamond and great pitching + great defense tends to lead to big championships.

Florida’s Dane Dunning fired 5.0 no-hit innings in Sunday’s start against rival Miami (Photo Courtesy Florida).

Case in point – the top four teams in this week’s CB360 Top-50 Rankings. Vanderbilt, Virginia, TCU and Florida, have been stellar on the mound and in the field. Those four teams have combined to go 24-4 and have a total of 22 errors and 18 unearned runs.

The defending national champion Commodores have outscored opponents just 26-22 in their 4-2 start after a 6-0 series-clinching win over Indiana State Sunday, but stellar pitching and defense have (as always) made up for it. The Commodores have just six errors and four unearned runs allowed while also posting a 2.95 ERA.

Virginia (8-0), runner-up to Vandy in Omaha last year, has committed eight errors and allowed six unearned runs while turning in a stealth 1.12 ERA. Virginia has also essentially played a ninth game after Sunday’s 5-4 win over Marist in 18 program record-setting innings.

TCU (6-1), another 2014 CWS team, and Florida (6-1) have been stellar both in the field and on the mound so far. The Horned Frogs (1.45 ERA) have just four errors and four unearned runs charged through seven games. That includes a weekend series win at Arizona State. Florida (2.14 ERA) has just six errors and four unearned runs after taking two of three games against Miami this weekend.

At the other end of the spectrum in the early part of 2015 is Cal Poly. The Mustangs started the season at 28th in our preseason rankings after a 47-12 record and a Big West championship in 2014. They have limped out of the gates to a 1-7 start in 2015 though, and pitching and defense have been the main culprits.

After committing two errors and surrendering four unearned runs in Sunday’s 9-3 loss to Grand Canyon, Poly now has 17 errors and 18 unearned runs allowed in the first two weeks of the season. On top of that, the staff ERA, which finished at 3.05 last year, is currently a hefty 4.95.

Kyle Smith leads Cal Poly with 16 strikeouts in 9 1/3 IP (Photo courtesy Cal Poly).

Casey Bloomquist only went 4.0 innings in Poly’s season-opening 8-6 loss at Baylor. He surrendered five total runs on 81 pitches and four hits, but he walked four and yielded two unearned runs thanks to three errors in the field.

Slater Lee lasted just 2.0 innings in another 8-6 loss the next day. Two of the four runs reliever Kyle Smith allowed in his 3.1 innings were unearned. The Mustangs committed three more errors in that setback.

Justin Calomeni needed 63 pitches (just 58% for strikes) to get through 3.0 innings in a demoralizing 6-0 loss to the Bears in the series finale. He did go 6.0 innings against Grand Canyon on Sunday, but two errors led to four unearned runs in the 9-3 defeat.

Andrew Bernstein provided Cal Poly with its first quality start in a midweek win at Fresno State. Bernstein allowed just two hits in 5.1 shutout innings in the 7-6 victory. Two late errors paved the way for four unearned runs to score after the Mustangs led 7-0 going into the bottom of the 8th inning. Poly still out-hit the Bulldogs 16-8 and the pitching staff combined for 10 strikeouts and just three walks.

Bloomquist made it to 6.2 innings against Grand Canyon in his second start this past Friday, but he needed 110 pitches to get there. Three Mustang errors led to two unearned runs allowed by Bloomquist, who fanned nine batters, as well as another unearned run tagged to reliever Erich Uelman in the 10-4 loss.

UCSB pitcher Dillon Tate is yet to allow a run in 13 2/3 IP this season (Photo courtesy UCSB).

Two other teams whose fortunes correlate directly to defense through the first two weekends have been Indiana and Arizona State.

Indiana committed just two errors in its first two games of the season – a pair of wins at Stanford – before committing eight errors and allowing a total of four unearned runs in consecutive losses to Stanford, Presbyterian and Furman. The spiral was punctuated by five miscues and three unearned runs in Friday’s 5-2 loss to the Blue Hose.

Arizona State struggled holding onto the ball this weekend as well. The Sun Devils had a pair of errors that led to two unearned runs in Friday’s 3-0 loss to visiting TCU. To be fair, Preston Morrison (2-0) was so dominant the miscues were probably moot. Morrison needed just 88 pitches to fire a three-hit complete game.

ASU had three more errors, but just one unearned run allowed, the next day in a 7-6 win. Two errors in Sunday’s series finale gave the Horned Frogs their first two runs.

UC Santa Barbara (6-1) committed just five errors and allowed a mere three unearned runs while getting off to a 6-0 start. The injury bug hit in Sunday’s series finale against Kentucky in a 12-7 Wildcat win (the only Kentucky victory in the series). Three Gaucho errors accounted for seven, yes – seven unearned runs in defeat.

UCSB, which sports a stellar 1.57 team ERA, will put its pitching, defense and strong start to the test with a midweek game at Pepperdine followed by a three-game home series vs. Oregon next weekend.

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Just Two Games With Top-50 Teams On Tap

at #3 UCLA 11, Cal Poly 7 | Final Stats
UCLA Recap | CP Recap

WP-Gerrit Cole (6-0) – Becomes the nation’s first 6-game winner.

UCLA (18-0) extends the program’s longest winning streak.

vs. Webber International 9, #43 Ohio State 0 | Final Stats
WIU Recap | OSU Recap

Notes On Pac-10, Big West, WCC, WAC Teams & More…

Zack MacPhee

2…Zac(k/h)s batting over .400 for the Sun Devils.  Zack MacPhee (.484) leads ASU, while Zach Wilson is hitting .441 for a team that’s hitting at a .362 clip.

16…Wins by UCLA to open the season.  It’s the best start in program history.  The 16-game winning streak is also a program best.

125-82…Combined record of the 12 Division One teams the Bruins have played this season.  After a midweek game vs. UC Santa Barbara this week UCLA hosts a 3-game non-conference series with Cal Poly this weekend.

7…Bruin batters hitting .360 or better.  Tyler Rahmatulla (.431) leads the way.  Steve Rodriguez and Dean Espy are each batting .395.

2.13 & 2.97…UCLA and ASU’s respective team ERAs.  UCLA’s staff has recorded 193 strikeouts in 135.0 innings, while ASU’s has 187 Ks in 176.0 IP.

11…Straight wins by the Arizona Wildcats (16-4) after a weekend sweep of Sacramento State.

92…Of 196 runs (46 %) Arizona has scored this year that have scored in the first three innings of a game.

12…Wins by Pacific through the first five weeks of 2010 after taking 2 of 3 games from USC in Stockton, CA over the weekend.  The Tigers won a total of 21 games last year.

Marcus Pointer

9-0…Combined record of Pacific starting pitchers Marcus Pointer (5-0, 2.04 ERA) and David Rowse (4-0, 3.09 ERA).

3…Straight wins over Washington by Cal State Fullerton over the weekend to match a season-high win streak.  The Titans (10-9) are above .500 for the first time this season after opening 2010 ranked in the top 10 nationally.

12…Wins by Cal State Northridge (12-6) , which is already half of the team’s win total from a year ago.

.406…Team-leading batting average of fifth-year senior C.J. Belanger to pace a Matador squad that’s averaging 7.7 runs a game.

6…Straight wins by UC Irvine to improve to 13-6 after a weekend 3-game sweep of Gonzaga.  Like Fullerton, the Anteaters started sluggishly after being among the highly ranked teams in the preseason polls.

Alex Pracher

8-11…Gonzaga’s record-a year after winning 36 games and claiming the program’s first WCC championship.

3-0…Record of Stanford reliever Alex Pracher, who has made eight relief appearances this season.  Pracher (2.19 ERA) has two saves-to directly factor in half of the 10-4 Cardinal’s wins to date.

4…Combined runs given-up by Oregon State relievers Sam Gaviglio, Ryan Gorton, Kraig Sitton, and Kevin Rhoderick who are  a combined 2-1 with 4 saves in 19 total relief appearances for the 13-4 Beavers.  The quartet has pitched 24 1/3 innings with 28 strikeouts.

15…Wins by Oregon (15-6) to surpass last year’s win total of 14 in the first year of baseball in Eugene since 1981.  The Ducks have won 11 of their last 12 games after a 4-game weekend home sweep of Nevada.  They open Pac-10 play this weekend at Arizona.

2.49…The Oregon pitching staff’s ERA.  Tyler Anderson (4-1, 1.60 ERA, 36 K in 33 2/3 IP) has been the top starter, while Drew Gagnier (3 SV, 1.00 ERA) leads the bullpen.

0…Series wins to date this season by Cal Poly, which won 11 of its 14 series last year en route to the program’s first NCAA Regional appearance.

7…Runs scored in the 7th inning by Fresno State in Sunday’s 16-10 win over Loyola Marymount.  It was the lone win by the Bulldogs (10-10) in the 4-game series.

39…Errors committed by San Diego this season (.950 fld %), a preseason favorite to win the WCC.  The Toreros were able to take 2 of 3 home games from Rice over the weekend despite committing 7 errors in the series.  USD plays a 3-game series at Coastal Carolina this weekend.

Matt Hauser

0…Runs allowed in 3 1/3 total innings by San Diego reliever Matt Hauser, who earned both a win and a save in his two appearances vs. Rice.

27…Errors committed by San Diego State this season (.963 fld %).  The Aztecs (9-10) have still won three straight vs. Santa Clara heading into Tuesday’s series finale.

5…Starts made by SDSU’s Addison Reed (4-1, 2.70 ERA), who has made a smooth transition to becoming a starter after saving 20 games while making 25 relief appearances last year.

Eight teams ranked in CB360’s Composite National Rankings were in action on March 4, with the most noteworthy matchups including LSU-Pepperdine, ASU-Cal Poly, Kentucky-San Diego St., and Oklahoma-So. Florida. (front-page photo courtesy of ASU/Jason Wise).

Thursday’s games did not involve any matchups between fellow CNR top-50 teams, but #1 LSU (home vs. Pepperdine) and #6 Arizona State (at Cal Poly) each defeated teams that were listed in the CNR top-50 the previous week. Oklahoma (#26 in the CNR) also faced a challenge at home vs. a South Florida team that was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference, while #23 Kentucky played across the country and lost at San Diego State (which took 2-of-3 from previous CNR #21/current #37 San Diego).

CollegeBaseball360.com provides regular updates of games involving CNR top-50 teams, via the on-site Twitter feed (located in the right sidebar of all the site’s pages) and also now on the “Today’s Top-50 Games” page (which often will include links for live coverage, team rosters, gamenotes, etc.). Time permitting, CB360 also will begin providing in-game Twitter updates (in addition to final scores/details) – with the new offerings to include starting pitchers, lineups for big games, and in-game updates/details (particularly for matchups of fellow top-50 teams or when a potential upset is  brewing).

March 4 Noteworthy Games

(ranks indicate CB360  Composite National Rankings top-50)

Final Scores (upsets in italics)

• at #1 LSU 8, Pepperdine 1  |  Final Stats
LSU Recap |  PEP Recap (not yet posted)  |  Photos

• #6 Arizona State 12, Cal Poly 9 (Surprise, AZ)  |  Final Stats
ASU Recap |  CP Recap

• at #15 North Carolina 6, Gardner Webb 5  |  Final Stats
UNC Recap |  GW Recap |  Photos

• at #16 Oregon State 10, UC Riverside 3  |  Final Stats
OSU Recap |  UCR Recap

•at San Diego State 12, #23 Kentucky 4 |  Final Stats
SDSU Recap |  KY Recap

• #25 Stanford 10, at UC Davis 6  |  Final Stats
STAN Recap |  UCD Recap

• at #26 Oklahoma 5, South Florida 4  |  Final Stats
OU Recap |  USF Recap |  Photos

#42 Florida International 5, Utah Valley 4 (Surprise, AZ)  |  Final Stats
FIU Recap |  UV Recap

Schedule (with links)

• 3:00 ET – Gardner Webb at #15 North Carolina

UNC info. –  NOTEBOOK |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE |  QUICK FACTS

• 3:00 CT – South Florida at #26 Oklahoma

OU info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE |  QUICK FACTS
Sooner Classic MAIN PAGE (March 4-7; field includes USF, W. Illinois & S.F. Austin)

• 2:00 PT – #25 Stanford at UC Davis

STAN info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE |  QUICK FACTS

• 3:00 PT – UC Riverside vs. #16 Oregon St.

(Surprise, AZ)

OSU info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE

• 4:00 PT – #6 Arizona State vs. Cal Poly (Surprise, AZ)

ASU info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS

• 6:30 CT – Pepperdine at #1 LSU

LSU info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE
PEP info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE |  QUICK FACTS

• 6:00 PT – #23 Kentucky at San Diego State

KY info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE
SDSU info. – ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE

• 7 MT – #42 FIU vs. Utah Valley (Surprise, AZ)

FIU info. – GAME NOTES |  ROSTER |  2010 STATS |  MEDIA GUIDE

The 2010 college baseball season is underway, and fans across the south flocked to stadiums to see the action.  Four SEC teams, LSU, Arkansas, Mississippi, and South Carolina, had the top weekend averages.  Here’s a breakdown of average attendance for opening weekend games as well as top single-game attendance marks (list below on the page).
By Average (min. 1,200)
School/Avg./ Total #Games
1. LSU 10,992/ 32,976/ 3

LSU's Alex Box Stadium had the top attendance figures during college baseball's opening weekend (LSU photo).

2. Arkansas 7,300/ 21,899/ 3
3. Ole Miss 7,171/ 21,513/ 3
4. South Carolina 7,072/ 21,216/ 3
5. Texas 6,020/ 18,060/3
6. Mississippi State 5,848/ 17,545/ 3
7. Clemson 5,727/ 11,454/ 2
8. Texas A&M 5,164/ 10,328/ 2
9. Florida State 5,049/ 15,148/ 3
10. East Carolina 4,974/ 14,922/ 3
11. Southern Miss 3,512/ 10,536/ 3
12. Florida 3,484/ 10,454/ 3
13. Hawaii 3,355/ 10,065/ 3
14. Miami, Fla. 3,172/ 9,516/ 3
15. TCU 2,934/ 8,803/ 3
16. Tulane 2,837/ 8,510/ 3
17. Arizona State 2,780/ 5,560/ 2
18. Louisiana-Lafayette 2,758/ 5,516/ 2
19. Baylor 2,679/ 8,038/ 3
20. Fresno State 2,607/ 7,820/ 3
21. Cal State Fullerton 2,465/ 7,395/ 3
22. Auburn 2,439/ 7,318/ 3
23. Texas Tech 2,328/ 9,312/ 4
24. Stanford 1,921/ 3,841/ 2
25. Vanderbilt 1,917/ 5,752/ 3
26. Long Beach State 1,908/ 3,816/ 2
27. Georgia Southern 1,847/ 5,543/3
28. Georgia Tech 1,720/ 5,160/ 3
29. Cal Poly 1,246/ 3,738/ 3
30. North Carolina 1,217/ 3,652/ 3

Top Game Attendances (min. 2,000)
11,588 Centenary at LSU, 2/19
11,126 Centenary at LSU, 2/20
10,262 Centenary at LSU, 2/21
8,004 Ball State at Arkansas, 2/20
7,926 Duquesne at South Carolina, 2/20
7,713 ULM at Ole Miss, 2/20
7,611 ULM at Ole Miss, 2/19
7,359 Ball State at Arkansas, 2/19
6,910 Duquesne at South Carolina, 2/21
6,536 Ball State at Arkansas, 2/21
6,380 Duquesne at South Carolina, 2/19
6,352 New Mexico at Texas, 2/20
6,189 ULM at Ole Miss, 2/21
5,953 New Mexico at Texas, 2/21
5,920 Rhode Island at Mississippi State, 2/20
5,915 Miami (OH) at Clemson, 2/19
5,819 Rhode Island at Mississippi State, 2/19
5,806 Rhode Island at Mississippi State, 2/21
5,755 New Mexico at Texas, 2/19
5,539 Furman at Clemson, 2/21
5,392 Georgia State at Florida State, 2/20
5,318 Seton Hall at Texas A&M, 2/19
5,254 Georgia State at Florida State, 2/19
5,136 Virginia at East Carolina, 2/20
5,012 Virginia at East Carolina, 2/19
5,010 Seton Hall at Texas A&M (DH), 2/20
4,774 Virginia at East Carolina, 2/21
4,502 Georgia State at Florida State, 2/21
4,109 Oregon State at Hawaii, 2/19
3,723 USF at Florida, 2/20
3,607 Northwestern State at Southern Miss, 2/20
3,569 Northwestern State at Southern Miss, 2/19
3,563 Clemson vs. Michigan State, 2/20
3,464 Oregon at Cal State Fullerton, 2/19
3,422 USF at Florida, 2/21
3,360 Northwestern State at Southern Miss, 2/21
3,309 USF at Florida, 2/19
3,280 Nebraska at Fresno State, 2/19
3,228 Sam Houston State at TCU, 2/19
3,128 Oregon State at Hawaii, 2/21
3,072 Sam Houston State at TCU, 2/20
3,011 Northern Illinois at Arizona State, 2/19
3,003 Boston College at Tulane, 2/19
2,912 Nicholls State at Louisiana-Lafayette, 2/20
2,895 Michigan at Texas Tech, 2/20
2,828 Oregon State at Hawaii, 2/20
2,798 Boston College at Tulane, 2/20
2,715 Southeast Missouri at Auburn, 2/20
2,709 Boston College at Tulane, 2/21
2,706 Georgia at Baylor, 2/21
2,670 Duke & Georgia at Baylor (DH), 2/19
2,662 Duke at Baylor, 2/20
2,605 Nicholls State at Louisiana-Lafayette, 2/19
2,548 Northern Illinois at Arizona State (DH), 2/20
2,503 Sam Houston State at TCU, 2/21
2,494 Southeast Missouri at Auburn, 2/19
2,350 Nebraska at Fresno State, 2/20
2,300 Xavier at Tennessee, 2/19
2,243 Jacksonville State at Texas Tech, 2/19
2,190 Nebraska at Fresno State, 2/21
2,162 Jacksonville State at Texas Tech, 2/21
2,126 Rice at Stanford (DH), 2/20
2,109 Southeast Missouri at Auburn, 2/21
2,027 Long Beach State at Cal State Fullerton, 2/21
2,012 Michigan at Texas Tech, 2/21

(Report complied by Wichita State sports information)

Gaucho slate features nine games vs. 2009 postseason teams

UCSB Head Coach Bob Brontsema

UCSB also will play road games at Stanford – a 2008 College World Series participant – USC, UC Irvine, Cal Poly, Long Beach State, San Jose State, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount.

Complete 2010 UC Santa Barbara Schedule (PDF)

“We’re looking forward to a challenging non-conference schedule to prepare us for the always-difficult Big West Conference season,” UCSB head coach Bob Brontsema said.

The Gauchos, 29-23 a season ago, return two players from their school-record nine players that were drafted in June. Left-handed pitcher Mario Hollands and infielder Matt Valaika, both chosen in the Major League Baseball amateur draft, will return and are expected to lead the Gauchos this year. Joining them will be All-American pitcher Mike Ford, all-conference honoree catcher Marty Mullins, senior Gunnar Terhune and top newcomers left-hander Kevin Gelinas and right-hander Nick Loredo.

The Big West Conference, which was recently ranked as the sixth-best in the nation, according to RPI ratings and is also a league that had two nationally-ranked teams in the NCAA postseason and has featured at least one team in the College World Series in eight of the past 11 seasons. UCSB led the conference with nine players drafted by Major League Baseball teams this past June, including the conference’s top player selected, Joe Gardner (third round, Cleveland Indians).

(Release)

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State baseball team will play 34 home games at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field in 2010, which highlights the season’s upcoming schedule released Tuesday by head coach Pat Casey.

OSU Head Coach Pat Casey

games as possible. We have some of the greatest fans in the Pac-10 and across the nation and the 2010 season will represent a great opportunity for our players to compete in front of them and for our fans to lead the Pac-10 in attendance.”

Complete 2010 OregonState Schedule (PDF)

The schedule begins Feb. 19 when the Beavers travel to Hawai’i for a four-game series. It marks the second time in four seasons in which OSU will travel outside the continental United States to open the season. In 2007, OSU played at Hawai’i-Hilo, and swept its four games there en route to its second of two consecutive national championships.

After playing four in the islands, the Beavers will return to Corvallis for the 2010 home opener against Tennessee in the Papé Grand Slam, which will be held at Goss Stadium from Feb. 26-28. The third-annual Papé Grand Slam will be played in Corvallis instead of Portland due to a construction schedule at PGE Park that could not accommodate the Beavers. PGE Park, however, will be able to accommodate Oregon State and Oregon for a non-conference game on May 26, which will mark the Beavers’ only appearance this season at the Triple-A park.

Other non-conference home opponents for the Beavers include perennial West Coast power Long Beach State (March 26-28), Portland and Utah in OSU’s Spring Tournament (March 12-14), Maine (March 19-21), Southern Utah (March 24), San Diego (May 10) and Seattle (May 18-19).

Of the Beavers’ 23 road games, eight will be played amongst the team’s first 11. After the series against Tennessee, OSU travels to Surprise, Ariz., to play in a six-team tournament hosted by Arizona State. In addition to the host Sun Devils, OSU squares off against Cal Poly, Utah Valley and UC Riverside over the four days.

Oregon State opens its 2010 Pacific-10 Conference slate April 1 at USC. The Beavers also travel to Washington State, California and Arizona State for league games this season.

Casey and the Beavers open their Pac-10 home schedule April 9 against UCLA. Other conference foes OSU fans will be able to see at Goss Stadium include Stanford, Oregon, Washington and Arizona, whom the Beavers close out the season with in a three-game series from May 28-30.

The NCAA postseason begins June 4 with NCAA Regionals play. NCAA Super Regionals start June 11, with the College World Series, which is scheduled to be played at historic Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb., for the final year, being played June 19-30.

(Release)

The Florida International baseball team recently finalized its 2010 schedule, announced head coach Turtle Thomas. The 2010 slate is packed with big-name programs both at home and on the road to go along with the always-challenging Sun Belt Conference schedule. “I think the Sun Belt getting better and better every year because we have a lot of great coaches in this conference,” Thomas said. “There are no easy ones in this league.”

Complete 2010 FIU Schedule

FIU opens the season at home when they host the Maryland Terrapins from the ACC February 19-21. The Golden Panthers will then take on Oral Roberts

FIU Head Coach Turtle Thomas

on February 26-28. Last season the Golden Eagles finished 33-15, won the Summit League and went on to the Tempe Regional where they won two games before being eliminated by Arizona State, who FIU will also play in 2010.

After the six-game homestand, FIU will hit the road for the Arizona State Surprise Tournament in Surprise, Ariz. After opening up the tournament against Utah Valley State on March 4, FIU will play UC Riverside (33-20 in ’09) March 5 and Cal Poly March 6. The Mustangs of Cal Poly finished 37-21 and also went to the Tempe Regional in 2009. The Golden Panthers then close out the tournament playing College World Series participant Arizona State on March 7. The Sun Devils, who were ranked as high as No.2 in the country in postseason polls, went 51-14 and advanced to the CWS where they won two games before being bounced by Texas.

Following the tough trip to Arizona, things don’t get much easier for FIU as they host the defending ACC champions Eagles of Boston College March 9-10. BC beat Miami in the finals of the ACC tournament last year and advanced to the Austin Regional. FIU will then host Big East member Rutgers March 12-14.

FIU will then head to the west coast of Florida on March 16 to face the Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast who were the A-Sun regular season champions in ’09 after posting a 36-18 record. FIU then hosts Southern Utah March 17 before opening up the Sun Belt schedule with a visit from the Troy Trojans March 20-23.

MORE SCHEDULES

A visit from A-Sun tournament champions and Gainesville Regional participant Jacksonville March 23-24 will precede FIU’s next conference series as they travel to Little Rock, Ark. March 26 for a 3-game set with the UALR Trojans and then come home on April 2 to host the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. The Golden Panthers then go on the road for the first of hopefully two trips to Murfreesboro, Tenn. April 9-14 as they visit the Blue Raiders, a team that was co-regular season champions and won the Sun Belt tournament last year on their way to an NCAA Louisville Regional birth.

On April 14, FIU will face yet another NCAA regional participant as the Wildcats of Bethune Cookman come to town. After a visit from the New Orleans Privateers on April 16-17, FIU will head to Bowling Green, Ky. to face Sun Belt Conference regular season co-champions and NCAA Oxford Regional participant Western Kentucky April 23-25.

FIU plays Jacksonville again on April 27-28, this time on the road before heading home to host ULM starting April 30. A trip to Daytona Beach on May 5^th will ready the Panthers for their trip to Jonesboro to face Arkansas State starting May 7. FIU then hosts South Alabama starting May 14 before facing FGCU at home and finishing the season in Boca Raton facing the Florida Atlantic Owls starting May 20.

The Sun Belt Conference Championships will be held in Murfreesboro, Tenn. on May 25-29.

(Press Release)

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Second-year Head Coach Jason Gill has announced a 2010 Loyola Marymount University baseball schedule that features 16 games against 2009 NCAA Regional teams, including a home-and-home two-game series against 2009 College World Series qualifier Cal State Fullerton. In just his first season as a Division I Head Coach last year, Gill guided LMU to its first West Coast Conference Championship appearance since 2005.

LMU Head Coach Jason Gill

host the Anteaters on Saturday before returning to Irvine for Sunday’s finale. LMU’s current 56-game schedule will see 29 of the contests played within the walls of Page Stadium, and the other 27 on the road, including three games at the Metrodome from March 5 to 7 as part of the 2010 Dairy Queen Classic hosted by Minnesota.

Full 2010 Loyola Marymount Schedule

Playing in Southern California, a well-known hotbed for college baseball, LMU is consistently playing one of the toughest schedules in all of Division I baseball. Last season, the Lions finished the year 36th in terms of strength of schedule according to Boyd’s World (boydsworld.com).

After opening the season with the three games against UC Irvine, LMU will host Oregon, the program that Gill left as an assistant coach to take the reins at LMU prior to last year, on February 22. The Lions will then travel to USC for the first of two meetings between the two teams on February 23, capping a run of five games in five days to open the year.

With just two full days of rest following the string of games to start the season, LMU will host UC Riverside on Friday, February 28 to open a four-game series with the Highlanders, a series that will consist of home games on Friday and Sunday and a doubleheader at UCR on Saturday.

A midweek contest at home against UC Santa Barbara (March 2) will precede the 2010 Dairy Queen Classic, in which LMU will square-off against host Minnesota (March 5), Northwestern (March 6) and 2009 Regional qualifier Oklahoma State (March 7) in the Metrodome.

A three-game series against Cal State Northridge, consisting of back-to-back home games on March 12 and 13 and a road game on the 14th, will flow into a Tuesday matchup with another Big West Conference opponent, Long Beach State on Tuesday, March 16.

Things really start to pick up on March 19 as the Lions travel to Fresno State for a four-game series against the Bulldogs (March 19-21), kicking-off a portion of the schedule that will pit the Lions against 2009 NCAA qualifiers in six of its next 11 games. Although the competition will be tough, LMU will be at home for seven of those 11 games, hosting Cal State Fullerton (March 23), a four-game series against Albany NY (March 26-28), and single games against USC (March 30) and 2009 NCAA Tournament participant Cal Poly (March 31).

A Tuesday game at UC Santa Barbara on April 6 will be the last game before WCC play begins on April 9 at San Diego. The conference schedule will consist of 21 games, 12 of which will be played at Page Stadium. LMU will host San Francisco (April 23-25), Saint Mary’s (April 30-May 2), Pepperdine (May 14-16), and Santa Clara (May 28-30) to close the regular season. The Lions will travel to San Diego (April 9-11), Portland (April 16-18) and 2009 WCC Champion Gonzaga (May 21-23).

The Lions will host two seven-game homestands this year. The first runs from March 23 to March 31, while the second runs from April 30 to May 16. Moreover, LMU will host 11 of its 12 games from April 20 to May 16, with the only road contest coming at Cal State Bakersfield on April 27.

Between conference games, the Lions will continue to boast a non-conference schedule packed with some of the best teams on the west coast, if not in the all of Division I baseball. The second half of the non-conference schedule will feature games against Long Beach State (April 13), two more against Cal Poly (May 11 at home and May 25 on the road), and the final game against Cal State Fullerton (May 18). LMU will also play a home-and-home against Cal State Bakersfield, with the home game coming on April 20.

Opening Day Scheduled for February 19th Against Bethune-Cookman

Full 2010 Northridge Schedule (PDF)
Friday, February 19th is when the first game of the 2010 season will take place for the Matadors as they travel to Compton, Calif. to face Bethune-Cookman in the inaugural game of the MLB Urban Invitational. CSUN will return to the MLB Urban Youth Academy the very next day to face Southern before completing tournament play at UCLA in a Sunday afternoon match-up against the Bruins.

For the second straight season Northridge has a schedule laden with games at Matador Field; 30 of the 56 regular season games will take place on CSUN’s diamond beginning with their home opener against Pepperdine on February 26th.

CSUN will compete in a total of 56 games throughout the season – 25 against Big West opponents, nine games against teams from the West Coast Conference, four games against Big East competition, and three games against opposition from the Mountain West Conference.

Northridge will also compete in their first exhibition game since 2007 when Waseda University (Tokyo, Japan) visits the campus on March 1st as part of their West Coast tour.

The Matadors will face five teams for the first time in the program’s history – Bethune-Cookman, Southern, Connecticut, East Carolina, and Seattle University – and play in only four games outside California as the team is scheduled to travel to Seattle for a four-game series from March 19-21 and Las Vegas for one game against the UNLV Rebels on May 18th.

CSUN will then travel to San Diego to face the Toreros (Feb. 23) before alternating home games with Pepperdine in a three-game series (Feb. 26-28) beginning in Northridge.

After their exhibition game against Waseda University, CSUN will host a four-game series against Connecticut (Mar. 5-8) and battle East Carolina (Mar. 10) for one game before facing Loyola Marymount (Mar. 12-14) and UNLV (Mar. 16).

Northridge will then hit the road and travel north to compete against Seattle University in a four-game series (Mar. 19-21) that includes a doubleheader that Saturday.

The Matadors will then return home to open a season-long, seven-game home stand beginning with a series against Sacramento State (Mar. 26-29), a team CSUN has not faced since 2002, and ending with three games against UC Irvine (Apr. 1-3) that take place during the inaugural weekend of Big West Conference action.

Five non-conference games against Pepperdine (Apr. 6), Cal State Bakersfield (Apr. 10-13), and San Diego State (Apr. 13) will fill CSUN’s bye week until they return to Big West competition against the visiting Cal Poly Mustangs (Apr. 16-18).

After their series against Cal Poly, CSUN will enter a portion of their schedule that includes ten of thirteen games on the road beginning with a three-game series at Pacific (Apr. 23-25).

A short home stand against UC Davis (Apr. 30-May 2) will bring the Matadors back to Northridge before hitting the road once again for games at UC Santa Barbara (May 7-9), UC Riverside (May 14-16), and UNLV (May 18).

Games against Long Beach State (May 21-23), San Diego (May 24), and a non-conference match-up against UC Riverside (May 25) will comprise the Matadors’ final home stand before CSUN travels to Cal State Fullerton (May 28-30) for their final Big West series of the season against the Titans.

(Press Release)