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Passion Buckets Full Of Baseball And Final Four

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

April is here, and my Passion Bucket is overflowing.  For those who’ve never heard of a Passion Bucket, it’s a term that was coined by UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel and made popular on the Dan Patrick Radio Show.  It’s also a term that was used by Cornell basketball player Ryan Wittman prior to last week’s Sweet 16 basketball match-up with Kentucky.

Wittman’s use of the term stirred-up some unwarranted controversy when John Feinstein took it to mean “we’re the smart kids”.   Turned out Wittman’s coach, Steve Donohue,  had just told him to drop the “Passion Bucket” during the presser at Patrick’s request.  Turns out Passion Bucket just stands for how much enthusiasm or excitement you have for something, and mine is overflowing with thoughts of college baseball and the Final Four…and even how they run together…

Brad Stevens

Butler’s in the Final Four.  How cool is that?  Their home floor, Hinkle Fieldhouse, is where the movie Hoosiers was filmed.  The college baseball equal would be Creighton making it to the College World Series.  Wait…that happened in 1991.  Butler’s coach, Brad Stevens, is home grown, just like Brian O’Connor, who pitched at the Series for the Blue Jays in ’91 and who took Virginia to Omaha last year.  Stevens looks so young he gets mistaken for the water boy, but he’s worked his way up the ladder since starting as Butler’s Coordinator of Basketball Operations ten years ago.  By the way, Minnesota Twins reliever Pat Neshek played college ball at Butler.

Tom Izzo is a guy you just have to respect.  He’s taken Michigan State to six Final Fours in 12 years.  His teams grind out possessions and games like a Polish lady with big forearms grinds out Kielbasa.  It got me thinking…what’s Michigan State’s college baseball counterpart?  I’m going with Texas:  Walk, sac bunt, infield hit, 4-3 RBI…Augie Garrido’s great pitching and small ball approach is college baseball’s answer to Izzo’s Spartans.  Augie’s obviously had some success at it too.  And how about Jake Boss, Jr.’s MSU baseball team?  At 16-4,  his Spartans open Big Ten play vs. Iowa this weekend with the best record in the conference.

Speaking of Texas, the Longhorns (18-7) leave their home state for the first time this season when they visit Oklahoma this weekend.  Texas has played road games at Rice and Texas Tech with three neutral site games at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

Arizona State (23-0) and UCLA (21-0) are the only two remaining unbeaten Division One teams in college baseball.

Merrill Kelly

The Sun Devils visit Oregon this weekend in their second Pac 10 series, while UCLA hosts Stanford in it conference opener.  The most amazing thing to me about ASU’s unblemished record is the fact they’ve done it without Josh Spence (10-1, 2.37 ERA in ’09) throwing one pitch so far this year.  The Aussie has been out all year with an arm injury, but his teammates have more than picked-up the slack.  Sophomore Jake Borup pitched all of 8.0 innings last year, but he’s 5-0, while juco transfer Merrill Kelly is tied for the national lead at 6-0.  Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole (6-0, 2.63 ERA) and Trevor Bauer (5-0, 2.33 ERA) have lived-up to their expectations at UCLA.  Both teams have off the charts talent and numbers in the line-up.  Too bad they don’t meet until the end of the month.  Oh, if you want to read a good rant on these teams and the national rankings check out what Chase Titleman has to say at Road2rosenblatt.com!

Who’s been impersonating as the three Conference USA teams that went to at least a Super Regional last year?  Last year’s CWS Cinderella, Southern Mississippi (14-9) , has lost five of its last seven games, including losing two of three last week to UAB.  East Carolina (17-9) just bludgeoned North Carolina Central by a combined 65-12 last weekend, but they just lost a 15-13 slug fest to UNC Wilmington and had losses to Monmouth and High Point.  ECU opens C-USA play this weekend vs. Tulane and then heads to Memphis next week.  Speaking of Memphis, the Tigers took two of three from Rice (14-12) last week for their first ever series win over the Owls, which are falling out of the polls with losses in five of their last eight games.  All three C-USA teams have played tough opponents, all three have hit in spots and consistent pitching has eluded all three as well.

Joe Godri

Villanova (17-4) is off to its best start since head coach Joe Godri arrived in 2002.  The Wildcats have a tough task ahead of them this weekend if they want to keep it going.  Godri’s ‘Cats will be “big game hunting” when they travel to Louisville (21-3) for their second Big East series of the season.  Godri has a tradition of plastering the logo of top-caliber teams his team has beaten on his office wall, and just one win at Louisville this weekend would go a long way.  Wildcats Justin Bencsko (.485) and Matt Szczur (.500) have names that are hard to pronounce, but they’re among the nation’s hitting leaders.  Louisville’s Thomas Royse (5-0, 1.42 ERA) and Neil Holland (4-0, 0.42 ERA, 6 SVs) might be the best pitchers they’ll face this season.

That series and many others start on Thursday this weekend due to Easter coming this Sunday.  Here’s hoping your Easter Baskets and Passion Buckets are full!

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CHICAGO – The UIC baseball team unveiled its 2010 schedule today with a season-opening trip to Cary N.C. for two games apiece against LeMoyne and Canisius to begin another challenging slate for the eight-time defending Horizon League champion Flames.

UIC baseball coach Mike Dee

2:00 p.m. in Cary, N.C. The Flames will also face the Dolphins on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 9:00 a.m. In between, UIC will play a doubleheader against Canisius on Saturday, Feb. 20 beginning at 11:00 a.m.

Complete 2010 UIC Schedule

From there the Flames head to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to face the University of Alabama in a three-game series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium from Feb. 26-27. This marks the second consecutive season that UIC will square off against the Crimson Tide on the diamond. The Tide took both contests played by the schools, while two others were washed away by inclement weather.

Two more non-conference series in the early part of the schedule include trips to Bowling Green, Ky. to battle Western Kentucky in a three-game set, March 5-7 and a swing through Waco, Texas the following week to face the Baylor Bears, March 12-14.

After spending the first month of the season on the road, the Flames host Opening Day at Les Miller Field on Friday, Mar. 19 against Creighton at 4:05 p.m. to begin a three-game series against the Bluejays.

UIC will host Concordia on March 23 and travel to Notre Dame to take on the Fighting Irish on March 24 before beginning the Horizon League campaign at home against Milwaukee on Mar. 26. The Flames and Panthers will play a three-game set.

Another big non-conference clash for the Flames takes place from May 7-9 in Atlanta, Ga., as UIC takes on Georgia Tech in a three-game series.

The Flames end the regular season with five straight home games at Les Miller Field. UIC will entertain Cleveland State for a doubleheader on May 16 before welcoming the Valparaiso Crusaders for three on May 20-21.

UIC will seek to clinch a fifth trip to NCAA Regional play in the last eight years at the 2010 Horizon League Baseball Championship in Gary, Ind. beginning on May 25. The Flames have won two of the last three tournament crowns.

Head coach Mike Dee has 17 players from last year’s squad back to anchor the Flames, including returning 2009 All-Horizon League honorees: third baseman Jason Ganek (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey H.S.), catcher Nathan Orf (Wentzville, Mo./Francis Howell H.S.) and pitcher Chris Kovacevich (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East/Coastal Carolina).

(Release)

MINNEAPOLIS– The Minnesota baseball team released its 2010 schedule on according to an announcement by Golden Gopher head coach John Anderson.

Golden Gopher Head Coach John Anderson

NCAA Super Regionals in 2009 and four out of conference opponents that were part of NCAA Regional play in 2009.

Complete 2010 Minnesota Schedule

The Golden Gophers will start things off when they bring back the Pro-Alumni Game for the first time since 2007. It will take place on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 6:05 p.m.

Minnesota will open up the season against Akron (19-33, 12-15 in 2009) in Fort Myers, Fla. on Feb. 19-21. The next week, the Golden Gophers will travel to St. Petersburg, Fla. where they will compete in the Big East-Big Ten Challenge. Minnesota will face St. John’s (30-22, 16-11) in Dunedin on Friday, Feb. 26, Connecticut (36-24, 14-13) in St. Petersburg on Saturday, Feb. 27 and 2009 Super Regional participant Louisville in St. Petersburg on Sunday, Feb. 28.

The Golden Gophers will return home to host the Dairy Queen Classic on Mar. 5-7. Minnesota will welcome Loyola Marymount (30-29, 13-8), Northwestern (14-35, 5-17) and 2009 NCAA Regional participant Oklahoma State (34-24, 9-16) to the 26th annual installment of the Dairy Queen Classic. Minnesota will face Loyola Marymount on Friday, Mar. 5 at 6:35 p.m., Oklahoma State on Saturday, Mar. 6 at 6:35 p.m. and Northwestern on Sunday, Mar. 7 at 3:05 p.m.

Following the Dairy Queen Classic, the Golden Gophers will host Division III National Champion St. Thomas (41-13) at the Metrodome on Wednesday, Mar. 10. Minnesota will host the Metrodome Tournament on Mar. 12-14. The Golden Gophers will welcome Creighton (31-25, 14-9), Harvard (13-28, 10-10) and South Dakota State (26-30, 17-10) to the Metrodome that weekend. Minnesota will host Harvard on Friday, Mar. 12, Creighton on Saturday, Mar. 13 and South Dakota State on Sunday, Mar. 14.

After the Metrodome Classic, Minnesota will embark on six-game road trip to Alabama and Samford. The Golden Gophers will face 2009 NCAA Regional participant Alabama (37-21, 18-11) in a two-game series on Mar. 16-17. Minnesota will then head to Samford (17-35, 9-21) for a four-game series on Mar. 18-21.

Minnesota will host North Dakota State (16-28, 10-14) at the Metrodome on Mar. 23-24. The Golden Gophers will host a three-game series against Louisiana Tech (29-22, 13-11) on Mar. 26-28. The Saturday game will be played at Target Field at 1:05 p.m., while the Friday and Sunday games will be at the Metrodome.

The Golden Gophers will open up Big Ten play on the road at Purdue on Apr. 2-4. Minnesota will return home to the Metrodome for the first Big Ten series against Michigan State on Apr. 16-18.

Minnesota’s other road series in the Big Ten will be against Northwestern (Apr. 16-18), Iowa (Apr. 30-May 2) and 2009 Big Ten Regular-Season Champion Ohio State (May 20-22). The Golden Gophers will have home conference series at the Metrodome against 2009 Big Ten Tournament Champion Indiana (Apr. 23-25), Michigan (May 7-9) and Penn State (May 14-16).

The Golden Gophers will also play midweek games during the conference season against Concordia-Moorhead (Mar. 31), Hamline (Apr. 6), South Dakota State (at home Apr. 14, on the road Apr. 20), North Dakota State (on the road Apr. 28) and at Kansas State (May 4-5).

Minnesota returns 20 players who saw action from a 2009 squad that finished 40-19, finished second in the Big Ten regular-season at 17-6, advanced to the Big Ten Tournament Championship and advanced to the final game of the NCAA Regionals in LSU.

(Release)

CAMBIDGE, Mass. - Harvard has posted its completed 2010 baseball schedule. Joe Walsh’s Crimson plays its first 22 games away from home in what will be a 43-game regular season schedule.

Harvard Head Coach Joe Walsh

7 p.m. that night to face the host Hatters team. The next day Harvard confronts Kansas State in a noon start.

Complete 2010 Harvard Schedule

The Crimson then embarks on a 10-day trip to Minnesota and the Carolinas. On March 12-14, Harvard plays single games at the Minneapolis Metrodome, opening against the host Gophers on the 12^th. Harvard defeated Minnesota, 9-1, during its last trip to the Dome in 2005. Harvard will also play South Dakota State (13^th) and Creighton (14^th) during the three-day tournament.

Harvard has a short turnaround following the Creighton game as the Crimson takes on Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs, N.C. at 3 p.m. on March 15.   The following day Harvard takes on Winthrop in Rock Hill, N.C. before playing two games in as many days at UNC – Greensboro. Harvard concludes its southern swing with a three-game set at Charlotte, March 19-21.

After six off days, Harvard travels to Hartford, Conn. for doubleheaders against Sacred Heart (March 27) and the University of Hartford (March 28). Following a midweek game at Holy Cross, March 31, Harvard gets into its Ivy League schedule with twinbills at Princeton (April 3) and Cornell (April 4).

Harvard’s home opener comes April 6 against Bryant University. That weekend, the Crimson hosts Penn and Columbia at O’Donnell Field as part of the five-game home stand.

The Crimson makes a short trip to Northeastern on April 13, one day before a first round game of the annual Beanpot at Boston College. The final round of the tournament is scheduled for April 20 at Fenway Park and Harvard will play another regularly-scheduled game against Boston College on the 21st.

Harvard hosts the Brown Bears in a four-game set at O’Donnell Field April 17-18 while traveling to Yale for four games the following weekend in its pivotal Rolfe Division games. The Crimson then plays home-and-home twinbills against Dartmouth with the first set being played at O’Donnell Field on May 1. The Ivy League Championship Series, pitting the Rolfe and Gehrig Division winners in a 2-of-3 series, will take place May 8-9.

(Release)

Here are several more 2010 college baseball schedules we found this week.  We have also included season openers for each of the teams.  CLICK HERE to see our comprehensive list of links to 2010 schedules.

Bucknell:  Opens with four games @ VMI in Lexington, VA

Central Arkansas:  Opens by hosting two games vs. SIU Edwardsville and one game vs. Creighton in Conway, AR

Davidson:  Opens by hosting three games vs. Georgetown in Davidson, NC

Lafayette:  Opens with three games @ VMI Feb. 26, 27 & 28

Lehigh:  Opens in Wilmington, NC Feb. 26, 27 & 28 with a game each vs. UNC Wilmington and Liberty and two games vs. Morehead State

Lipscomb:  Opens with three games vs. Murray State

Mercer:  Opens by hosting four games vs. Morehead State in Macon, GA

Nicholls State:  Opens with three games @ Louisiana Lafayette

UNC Greensboro:  Opens with three games vs. Cleveland State

North Florida:  Opens with home games vs. Ohio State, Richmond & Florida A&M

Northwestern State:  Opens with three games @ Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS

Southeastern Louisiana:  Opens at home with three games vs. Eastern Illinois

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Here’s A Refresher In Case You Missed Something New On The Site This Week:

1. A new Podcast interview with East Carolina slugger Kyle Roller-who was the 2009 Cape Cod League MVP.
2. A new Schedule Page where you can find all of the 2010 college baseball schedules that have been released to date. We will continue to post schedules as they are released leading-up to the 2010 season.
3. Several schedule releases as they were issued by schools this week.
4. A story on Minnesota baseball/football player Eric Decker-who will miss the rest of the Gopher’s football season with a foot injury.  (He is also included in our “Two-Sport Reports”.)
5. A release on the announcement that, beginning in 2011,  the Creighton baseball team will play home games in the new TD Ameritrade Park in downtown Omaha, NE.  The park will also be the new home of the College World Series.
6. A story on former college stars Cliff Lee, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard propelling the Phillies to a game one win in the World Series.
7. A release on ACC baseball games that will be televised in 2010 on the Regional Sports Network (RSN).
8. A release on tickets going on sale for the 2010 Big Ten/Big East Challenge.
9. A new Big Ten/Big East Challenge page on the site where you can find coverage before, during and after the event.

MANHATTAN, Kan. - A 13-game homestand during the month of March and 29 games against 2009 NCAA Regional competition highlight Kansas State’s slate as head coach Brad Hill released the Wildcats’ 2010 baseball schedule on Thursday.

Complete 2010 Kansas State Schedule (PDF)

“This will be a challenging schedule,” Hill said. “We open the season with 12 games on the road and will take on 10 NCAA Regional teams from a year ago, including three in our first homestand. The nonconference schedule will help prepare our young squad for the always challenging Big 12 Conference.”

Kansas State Head Coach Brad Hill

The 2009 season opens on Friday, Feb. 19, at The Citadel Memorial Challenge against Delaware. The Cats then face East Tennessee State on Saturday before taking on the host school, The Citadel, on Sunday. K-State will then stay in Charleston, S.C., to face the Bulldogs for an extra game on Monday, Feb. 22.

Kansas State travels to Florida to play eight games in nine days, beginning with the Russmatt Central Florida Invitational at Chain of Lakes Park – the former spring training home of the Cleveland Indians – in Winter Haven, Fla. The Cats will play five games in the invitational, which runs Saturday, February 27 through Wednesday, March 3. K-State will play against a combination of teams in Duquesne, Illinois State, Maine, Northeastern, St. Bonaventure, Valparaiso, Villanova and Western Michigan. The exact schedule for the tournament will be released at a later date.

Following a day off on Thursday, K-State will participate in the Bright House Invitational, hosted by Stetson, beginning Friday, March 5, in DeLand, Fla. The Wildcats will face the Hatters on Friday before squaring off against Notre Dame on Saturday. Kansas State will finish its Florida excursion and 12-game road trip to start the season on Sunday against Harvard. The 12-game road trip is the longest to start a season since 1972.

Kansas State will open its home slate with season-long 13-game homestand beginning on Friday, March 12, against Kent State. The Cats continue their series with the Golden Flashes with a Saturday doubleheader at 12 p.m., while the series finale is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. Following a home contest against Creighton on Tuesday, March 16, the Cats will play another four-game weekend series beginning on Friday, March 19, against UW-Milwaukee.

The season-long homestand also sees the start of Big 12 play for Kansas State as the Wildcats welcome Oklahoma State to Tointon Family Stadium for a three-game series beginning Friday, March 26, at 6:30 p.m. The homestand and the month of March concludes with a visit from in-state rival Wichita State on Tuesday, March 30.

K-State’s first conference road trip is to Lubbock, Texas, as the Cats face Texas Tech, April 1-3, before coming home to take on Nebraska, April 9-11.

K-State, which traveled to BYU two years ago and played the Cougars last season in Manhattan, will travel to Provo, Utah, for a two-game series against the Mountain West Conference school on April 13 and 14.

Following a three-game home conference series against 2009 NCAA Regional participant Baylor, April 16-18, the Cats travel to Eck Stadium in Wichita to conclude their season series against the Shockers on Tuesday, April 20. K-State will then stay on the road as it travels to Columbia, Mo., to face Missouri, April 23-25.

The Wildcats will face Chicago State, Tuesday and Wednesday, April 27 and 28, in Manhattan, before traveling to Oklahoma to end April and begin May as they play the Sooners Friday, April 30, through Sunday, May 2.

The final stretches of the season see Kansas State at home for seven of its final 11 games. The Wildcats will step out of conference play for the final time in 2010 as it hosts 2009 NCAA Regional participant and Big Ten member Minnesota, Tuesday and Wednesday, May 4 and 5.

College World Series runner-up Texas comes calling for a three-game weekend series in Manhattan beginning Friday, May 7.

The Cats will renew their in-state rivalry against Kansas beginning Friday, May 14, in Lawrence, before the series shifts to Manhattan for the Saturday and Sunday contests.  The Jayhawks are another 2009 NCAA Regional team.

Kansas State’s regular season concludes in College Station, Texas, with a three-game series at Texas A&M, beginning Friday, May 21.

The 2010 Big 12 Championship will be conducted May 26-30 at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Okla., while NCAA Regionals will run June 4-7 at 16 various on-campus sites throughout the country.

WICHITA, Kan. – The 2010 Wichita State baseball schedule features games with traditional national powers and conference champions along with 30 home games, head coach Gene Stephenson announced Oct. 22.

Shocker Head Coach Gene Stephenson

“Once again we have a great schedule for the fans and players alike,” Stephenson said.  “It will be very challenging for this team.  I think we have an especially challenging road schedule. It will require us to grow up in a hurry to be successful.  I think we’ll have a much better team overall, but we need to prove it on the field in the spring.  With the improvements at our facility, it should be an exciting season.”
Complete 2010 Wichita State Schedule (PDF)
The Shockers begin the 2010 season on Feb. 23 in Lawrence, Kan., against 2009 NCAA Tournament participant Kansas.  The Jayhawks return the trip to Wichita on April 27.  WSU then travels to Mobile, Ala., for the Coca-Cola Classic, Feb. 26-28.  In the tournament, WSU will face North Florida, Eastern Michigan and host South Alabama.

WSU then opens the home portion of its schedule with seven-straight games, two against North Dakota on March 2-3, three against Florida Gulf Coast, March 5-7 and two against Central Arkansas, March 9-10.  FGCU is coming off of two-straight Atlantic Sun regular-season titles.

WSU again hits the road for five-straight games against national powers including a three-game series at Long Beach State, March 12-14.  The Shockers wrap up the road trip with a two-game series in Tucson, Ariz., against Arizona, March 16-17.

The Shockers return home for a three-game series with 2009 NCAA Tournament participant Washington State, March 19-21.  The two teams met in the Norman Regional with the Cougars earning a 3-2 victory.

On March 23-24, the Shockers play a two-game set at Oral Roberts, another 2009 NCAA Tournament participant.  ORU returns the trip to Wichita on May 4 and May 18.

Missouri Valley Conference play gets underway for the Shocks on March 26-28 in Wichita against Bradley and then WSU travels to Manhattan, Kan., on March 30 to face 2009 NCAA Tournament participant Kansas State.  The Wildcats finished the season ranked 19th by Baseball America and 22nd by Collegiate Baseball, USA Today/ESPN and the NCBWA.  KSU visits Eck Stadium on April 20.

The final 2009 NCAA Tournament participant on WSU’s schedule is Oklahoma State.  The Shockers travel to Stillwater, Okla., on April 6, while the Cowboys visit Wichita on April 28.  OSU finished the 2009 season ranked 27th by Collegiate Baseball.

2009 Western Athletic Conference champion San Jose State visits Eck Stadium April 23-25, while independent powerhouse Dallas Baptist visits Wichita May 20-22.

The Shockers will play at Creighton on May 7-9 and will get to play at Rosenblatt Stadium on May 7-8.  It is the final season of Rosenblatt Stadium.

Other teams that will visit Eck Stadium in 2010 include Southern Illinois (April 9-11) and Missouri State (May 14-16).

Wichita State will also play host to the 2010 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament for the 24th time, May 26-29.

(Press Release)

Warhawks To Face Three 2009 College World Series Teams

Full La.-Monroe 2010 Schedule

“I feel that we have a great schedule that our fans will enjoy and that will help our team reach a Regional,” Schexnaider said. “With 15 games against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last season, the schedule provides us with the challenges we need to accomplish our goals.”

The Warhawks open the season at one of the eight Super Regional sites from last season for a three-game set against Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., on Feb. 19-21. The series was originally scheduled for two mid-week games later in the year, but when the NCAA extended the season by one week it was moved to the beginning of the year with an extra game added.

Creighton, Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State await the Warhawks the following weekend (Feb. 26-28) in Nacogdoches, Texas, for a round robin tournament. ULM and Creighton met two years ago in Rosenblatt Stadium to end the regular season, while the Lumberjacks and Demons are old Southland Conference foes.

ULM travels to Hattiesburg, Miss., on Mar. 3 for the first of two games on the season against Southern Mississippi, who played in the 2009 College World Series. The Warhawks have won two straight games against the Golden Eagles on their home field, including a decisive 9-2 victory last season.

The Warhawks open their 26-game Warhawk Field schedule with a three-game set against Mississippi Valley State on Mar. 5-7.

A date with the defending national champions is next for ULM as it heads down to Baton Rouge, La., for a meeting with LSU at Alex Box Stadium on Mar. 9. The Warhawks then host Memphis in the first of a home-and-home series on Mar. 10 with the Conference USA foe before opening conference play.

The Sun Belt Conference opener will be a rematch of the Sun Belt Tournament Championship Game as the Warhawks travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn., for three games against Middle Tennessee on Mar. 12-14.

A trip to Northwestern State on Mar. 15 follows the league opener and Southern Mississippi makes its return trip to Warhawk Field on Mar. 16 to open a four-game homestand. New Orleans returns to Warhawk Field for the second consecutive year Mar. 19-21 for three Sun Belt games.

ULM hits the road for five of the next six games beginning with a Mar. 23 date at Texas-Arlington. A home contest against McNeese State on Mar. 24 breaks up the road trip before the Warhawks travel to Bowling Green, Ky., for three league games at Western Kentucky. Facing elimination, the Warhawks defeated the Hilltoppers twice in the Sun Belt Tournament last year to advance to the title game.

Following a return trip to McNeese State on Mar. 30, the Warhawks play six of their next eight games in the friendly confines of Warhawk Field beginning with a Mar. 31 matchup with Grambling State. NCAA Tournament foe Binghamton is in town for three games on Apr. 2-3.

The two road contests come mid-week as the Warhawks travel to Memphis and Central Arkansas on Apr. 6-7 before hosting Arkansas State on Apr. 9-11 in a three-game Sun Belt series.

A return trip to Grambling State on Apr. 13 breaks up a string of 12 league games. The Warhawks travel to Mobile, Ala., on Apr. 16-18 for three SBC games at South Alabama before returning home Apr. 23-25 for a three-game league set against Florida International.

Staying with teams from the Sunshine State, the Warhawks fly down to Miami, Fla., for three games against league foe Florida International on Apr. 30-May 2. ULM will look for its second straight victory in New Orleans, La., over Tulane on May 4 before returning home to host Troy on May 7-9 in a three-game Sun Belt series.

The final regular season road games send the Warhawks to Little Rock, Ark., for three league games against UALR on May 14-16.

The regular season wraps up with a home game against Northwestern State on May 18 and a three-game series against Louisiana-Lafayette on May 20-22. The series against the Ragin’ Cajuns marks the first time in ULM’s four years in the Sun Belt Conference that it will play a league series during the final weekend of play.

The top eight teams in the league will meet in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on May 26-29 for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament with the winner earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

(Press Release)