Illinois-Chicago 2010 Baseball Schedule

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’s campaign begins a month from now against LeMoyne on Friday, Feb. 19 at

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)

South Alabama 2010 Baseball Schedule

MOBILE, Ala. - University of South Alabama baseball head coach Steve Kittrell announced the Jags’ 2010 regular season schedule Wednesday afternoon. The 56-game slate features 32 home games, including the 25th annual South Alabama Classic.

“I think it’s a very competitive non-conference schedule, and it should prepare us for Sun Belt Conference play, which is getting better every year,” Kittrell said. “We’re excited about the challenges ahead and look forward to starting practice on Jan. 29.”

Kittrell’s club starts the season with 14 of its first 16 games at home. USA opens with a doubleheader against Jackson State (Feb. 19), then the Jags hit the road to take on Alabama the next day before returning home for a Sunday rematch with the Crimson Tide to round out the opening weekend.

Complete 2010 South Alabama Schedule

USA hosts the South Alabama Classic the following weekend. The tournament field includes another team with a great baseball history – Wichita State – along with North Florida and Eastern Michigan. Wichita State played in the 2002 Classic, while North Florida and Eastern Michigan will be visiting Stanky Field for the first time.

Following the tournament, the Jags take on a pair of storied programs in consecutive midweek games. USA travels to Mississippi State (March 2), then gets a visit from Tulane the following day. South Alabama’s last nonconference series is a four-game set with Siena (March 5-7).

After a pair of midweek games at home against Tennessee Tech, the Jags open Sun Belt Conference play with a three-game series at Arkansas-Little Rock. The Jags took two of three from the Trojans a season ago. The Jags follow that series with a pair of midweek games at Memphis, then return to Stanky Field for the conference home opener when they host longtime rival Louisiana-Lafayette (March 19-21).

After four more road games, including a series at Middle Tennessee, the Jags return for a five-game homestand when they host Southern Miss (March 30), New Orleans (April 2-4) and Southeastern Louisiana (April 6).

The Jags hit the road for Western Kentucky the following weekend (April 9-11), but not before making a stop along the way to take on Auburn (April 7). After the three-game set with the Hilltoppers, USA heads back home for games against Nicholls State (April 13) and Louisiana-Monroe (April 16-18). The Jags took both games of a rain-shortened two-game set against the Warhawks last year.

Kittrell’s squad then travels back to Arkansas, this time to take on Arkansas State (April 23-25), and on the way back the Jags stop for games with Nicholls State (April 27) and Southern Miss (April 28), before closing with seven of the last 10 at home.

USA rounds out the regular season hosting Florida Atlantic (May 7-9), Auburn (May 11) and Troy (May 20-22), and going on the road to face Florida International (May 14-16).

The Jags’ game against Auburn will be their fifth game of the season against an opponent from the Southeastern Conference. USA went a perfect 4-0 in home games against teams from the SEC in 2009, including a win over No. 6 Ole Miss that gave Kittrell his 1,000th career win, and a win against No. 21 Alabama in front of a Stanky Field record crowd of 4,436.

The Sun Belt Conference Championship is scheduled for May 26-29 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

(Release)

Arkansas State 2010 Baseball Schedule

Belmont 2010 Baseball Schedule

Bruins Will Play 21 Of Their First 25 Games At Home

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont baseball program will play 21 of the first 25 games at home and face five NCAA Tournament teams from last season as a part of the 2010 schedule head coach David Jarvis released on Monday.

HOME OPENER
The Bruins begin the season with a three-game series against Evansville (2009 record: 25-20) from Feb. 19-20 in

Shelby Park. It is the third time in four years that Belmont has faced a Missouri Valley Conference opponent to open the season. In last season’s home opener Belmont won two-of-three games against Illinois State, and in 2007 the Bruins opened up with two wins over Bradley.

Complete 2010 Belmont Schedule (PDF)

REGIONAL MATCHUPS
Belmont will trade home games with six area teams – Western Kentucky, Murray State, MTSU, Tennessee Tech, UT-Martin, and Austin Peay – which will make up a majority of the Bruins’ non-conference slate. The regional matchups begin at home with WKU (42-20) on Feb. 24. The Hilltoppers earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history after sharing the Sun Belt regular season title. Belmont will travel to WKU on April 7, to fulfill the two-game series.

OHIO VALLEY OPPPONENTS
Eleven of Belmont’s 28 non-conference games will be against teams from the Ohio Valley Conference, beginning with a three-game series against Eastern Illinois (36-14) from Feb. 26-28. After facing the 2009 regular season champions, the Bruins will travel to Murray State (34-21-1) on March 2 for the first of 21 road games during the season.

Belmont’s OVC tour resumes on March 23 when the Bruins host 2009 tournament champion Tennessee Tech (31-24-1) in Shelby Park. Senior Day is schedule for May 18 against Tennessee-Martin (20-31) – the last home game of the season. The Austin Peay series will take place on the road on April 20 and at home on the 28th.

SEC
Belmont will play two Southeastern Conference teams with Vanderbilt (37-27) on April 6 at Hawkins Field in Nashville, and Tennessee (26-29) on April 27 in Knoxville.

NEW BEGINNINGS
Belmont will face three new opponents in 2010 including Cleveland State, Eastern Michigan and Evansville. All games will be played at Shelby Park with Evansville opening the season on Feb. 19, Eastern Michigan (25-35) playing three games in two days from March 5-6, and a mid-week bout with Cleveland State (21-31) March 16 and 17.

The Bruins’ first substantial road trip will be a nine-game swing including a stop in Arkansas to play Arkansas-Little Rock for the first time since 1998.

CONFERENCE MATCHUPS
The Bruins open the conference season on the road against reigning Atlantic Sun Tournament Champion Jacksonville (37-22) on March 12. The Dolphins eliminated Belmont en route to their fourth A-Sun title and sixth berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The Bruins will play 27 conference games, three less than last season’s A-Sun slate which the Bruins finished with an even 15-15 record. All conference series are three games as most will occur over the span of two days, except Lipscomb and Florida Gulf Coast. ETSU is the lone conference member that the Bruins will not play in the regular season.

The baseball edition of the Battle of the Boulevard between arch-rival Lipscomb will be held in Shelby Park from March 19-21.

Belmont will conclude the regular season on road against Mercer on May 20 and 21.

The 2010 Atlantic Sun Championship will be held in Nashville at Lipscomb’s Dugan Field from May 25-29.

SHELBY IS HOME
Shelby Park will field all of Belmont’s 32 home games in 2009, ending nearly two decades of hosting teams at Greer Stadium – the home of the Nashville Sounds, Class AAA affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Middle Tennessee State 2010 Baseball Schedule

Blue Raiders Have 27 Home Games In 2010

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee head baseball coach Steve Peterson announced Wednesday the 2010 schedule for his defending Sun Belt Conference champion Blue Raiders.

The 2010 campaign is very attractive but includes an added bonus. The Blue Raiders will host the Sun Belt Conference Championships on May 26-29 for the first time in school history. It marks the first time Middle Tennessee has hosted a postseason conference tournament since 1997 (Ohio Valley).

Middle Tennessee will play a total of 27 home games, including a three-game series with a strong Ohio team to open the home season on February 26-27-28. The Blue Raiders will officially open the season a week earlier with a trio of games at Memphis on February 19-20-21.

“With the exception of Ohio University, our schedule looks much like it has in recent years,” noted Peterson. “It will feature a lot of familiar foes, and have a lot of road games close by that our fans can follow us to.”

Complete 2010 MTSU Schedule

Tennessee and Vanderbilt are home-and-home foes once again, as are Austin Peay, Belmont, David Lipscomb and Tennessee Tech.

Middle Tennessee will play Southern Illinois in multi-game series’ home and away, and will also have a three-game road trip to Jacksonville State in early March.

“We have a tough non-conference slate, as we always try to do, to prepare us for conference play,” said Peterson. “Tennessee was very good at the end of the season last year, and Vandy is being touted as perhaps having the best pitching staff in the country. Tennessee Tech made the NCAA tournament last year, and Southern Illinois and Jacksonville State are always a tough series for us.”

The 56-game schedule will include 18 games against Sun Belt Conference foes, beginning with a three-game home stand against Louisiana-Monroe March 12-13-14. It will close the regular season with what has become the traditional season-ending series with Western Kentucky.

Sunday, April 25th, is tentatively set as Little League Day at Reese Smith Field. Middle Tennessee will host SBC foe Arkansas-Little Rock on that day.

(Release)

Kentucky 2010 Baseball Schedule

Wildcats Face 15 NCAA Tournament Teams From 2009

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky baseball program will take on 15 NCAA Tournament teams from 2009 and host 29 games at Cliff Hagan Stadium, as part of its 2010 schedule, released Tuesday by head coach Gary Henderson.

“We are very excited about our 2010 schedule, it is one of the best in the country,” Henderson said. “It is important to us to play a challenging non-conference schedule in order to prepare us for the weekly grind of playing in the SEC. Our schedule has some great teams and there will be some great games for our fans at Cliff Hagan Stadium this year.”

Kentucky’s 2010 schedule marks the toughest in recent history, with 10 weekends in the Southeastern Conference

and several difficult non-conference tests. The Wildcats will host a 29-game schedule at Cliff Hagan Stadium and play a total of 27 contests away from Lexington.

Complete 2010 Kentucky Schedule (PDF)

UK will open its 2010 campaign for the second consecutive season at Coastal Carolina (47-16, No. 28 RPI), a team that finished the season ranked in the top 25. The Chanticleers will host the Wildcats in its preseason tournament, with UK’s season opener coming against ACC power Virginia Tech (32-21, No. 50 RPI) on Feb. 19 at noon ET. UK will also face West Virginia (37-18, No. 102 RPI) for the second consecutive year on Feb. 20 at 11 a.m., before facing the host Chanticleers Feb. 21 at 3 p.m.

“I thought it was important that we test our kids early and get them ready for 10 weeks of SEC play,” Henderson said. “When we got the extra week of competition in the schedule, we were able to add the trip to Coastal Carolina, which we are really pleased about. The trip was a good experience for us last year and we are looking forward to going down there. It is obviously three very good teams and we are going to be tested early in the season.”

The Wildcats will return to Cliff Hagan Stadium for their home opener on Feb. 24, hosting in-state foe Murray State (34-21) at 4 p.m. ET, before beginning a three-game homestand Feb. 26-28 with Mid-American Conference member Bowling Green (28-22).

UK’s next test will be significant, as the Wildcats begin a four-game road swing with a stop in Morehead, Ky., to face off with the Eagles on March 2, before embarking on a trip to San Diego for three games on the west coast. UK will face 2009 NCAA Regional participant San Diego State (41-23, No. 45 RPI), coached by Tony Gwynn, on March 4 before facing traditional powers San Diego (29-25, No. 50 RPI) on March 5 and Monmouth on March 6.

“You are playing two regional teams again out in San Diego,” Henderson said. “I want the team to experience some travel and play against top level competition on the road. It is important for the team to understand what it is going to be like on the road against good teams.”

After the trip to the west coast, UK will embark on a six-game homestand that includes non-conference matchups with Evansville (25-30), IPFW (13-38) and Wright State (33-30). The Wildcats then begin the rugged SEC conference season, welcoming defending conference regular-season champion Ole Miss (44-20, No. 14 RPI) in the league opener, March 19-21 at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

“The conference is going to be extremely competitive again,” Henderson said. “We are going to have as many returning players as ever in the league. When you look at the rosters and stats from around the conference, there is no weak team. It is going to be a great challenge from week to week. It is an absolute grind, 10 weeks of tremendous competition in great environments for college baseball.”

UK will host SEC series with Ole Miss, Alabama (37-21, No. 39 RPI), Florida (42-22, No. 10 RPI), South Carolina (40-23, No. 21 RPI) and 2009 NCAA Champion LSU (56-17, No. 4 RPI) during the year. The Wildcats will take trips for SEC play to Vanderbilt (37-27, No. 27 RPI), Arkansas (41-24, No. 7 RPI), Auburn (31-25, No. 33 RPI), Tennessee (26-29, No. 58 RPI) and Georgia (38-24, No. 20 RPI).

Highlighting UK’s non-conference action are mid-week contests with 2009 NCAA Regional teams Xavier (39-21, No. 59 RPI), Western Kentucky (42-20, No. 41 RPI), Louisville (47-18, No. 17 RPI) and Indiana (32-27, No. 108 RPI). UK will also face Cincinnati (29-29) and Lipscomb (24-32), as part of its non-conference season.

UK will play rivals Murray State, Indiana, Western Kentucky, Louisville, Cincinnati and Morehead State during the season. The last few years the rivalry games have increased in fan excitement and interest, and in 2010 UK will hit the road to face Louisville in the River City, WKU in Bowling Green, Ky., Murray State in Paducah, Ky., Morehead State in Morehead, Ky., and Indiana in Bloomington, Ind.

“I think when you have as many good programs as we do in the state, it is important that everyone plays each other,” Henderson said. “The series’ that we have had in state have been extremely competitive and have created a lot of excitement and interest. As the programs continue to get better, the rivalries and fan support continues to grow, which makes for some great environments in the in-state contests.”

(Press Release)

Louisville Baseball 2010 Schedule

Cards to play 31 home games, 41 games vs. BCS Conference foes & 12 games against 2009 NCAA teams

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville baseball head coach Dan McDonnell released the Cardinals’ 2010 schedule on Thursday and it includes 31 games at Jim Patterson Stadium, 41 games against BCS Conference schools and 12 games against NCAA Regional teams from last year.

The Cards, which won swept the BIG EAST Conference and regular season titles and advanced to the NCAA Super Regional in 2009, will play seven games against Big Ten competition and six games against Southeastern Conference teams, including a three-game series at reigning SEC champion Ole Miss.

“The 2010 schedule features some great opponents in some great venues that should really challenge our squad each week,” said McDonnell, who is 135-63 in three seasons in Louisville, including three straight NCAA appearances and back-to-back BIG EAST Tournament titles in 2008 and 2009. “As in years past, we continue to put an emphasis on playing against the best competition in the nation by scheduling more than 40 games against teams from the BCS conferences, as well as numerous NCAA Regional caliber squads. And as always, we’ve made it a priority to take advantage of having one of the top home facilities in the nation by playing more than 30 games at Jim Patterson Stadium.”

Louisville will open the 2010 season at home on Feb. 19-21 with a three-game series against reigning Mid-American Conference champion Bowling Green at Jim Patterson Stadium and will follow that with a mid-week game at home against Morehead State on Feb. 23.

The Cardinals will then take to the road for the first time for their first appearance in the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge hosted by St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission on Feb. 26-28. Louisville will play Michigan on Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Dunedin Stadium, spring training home for the Toronto Blue Jays, in the only night game on the opening day of the event, which will feature 10 games each day matching up teams from the Big Ten and BIG EAST.

Following the opener, the Cardinals will face Michigan State on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 4:30 p.m. ET at Jack Russell Stadium, the longtime spring headquarters for the Philadelphia Phillies, while Louisville’s finale will be against Minnesota, a 2009 NCAA Regional squad, on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. ET at the Naimoli Complex, former spring training host for the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Cards will return home from Florida to host a five-game homestand at Jim Patterson Stadium. Louisville will host a mid-week game against Evansville (March 3), a three-game weekend series with NCAA Division I independent Le Moyne College (March 5-7) and a mid-week game against Indiana (March 9) in a rematch of the last year’s NCAA Regional first round game in Louisville. The Cardinals will play a return game against the Hoosiers on March 30 in Bloomington.

U of L will then return to the road for a three-game series in Oxford, Miss., against Ole Miss on March 12-14 in a match-up of reigning conference championship programs. It will also be a reunion for McDonnell, who served as an assistant coach at Ole Miss from 2001-06, and Cards’ senior first baseman Andrew Clark, who played one season for the Rebels before transferring to Louisville.

After hosting 2009 NCAA Regional team Xavier on March 15 for Elementary School Day at Patterson Stadium, the Cardinals will host their final non-conference weekend series on March 19-21 against Ball State.

Following a mid-week return game at Evansville on March 23, the Cards will the defense of their 2009 BIG EAST Conference title with a three-game series at home against Connecticut on March 26-28 at Jim Patterson Stadium. The series will be a rematch of last year’s BIG EAST Tournament title game, won by Louisville 11-3 in Clearwater, Fla.

Along with UConn, the Cardinals will host BIG EAST foes Villanova (April 1-3), Seton Hall (April 23-25), Rutgers (April 30-May 2) and St. John’s (May 14-16). Louisville will play four BIG EAST opponents on the road, including Pittsburgh (April 9-11), West Virginia (April 16-18), Georgetown (May 7-9) and Notre Dame (May 20-22).

The Cardinals will play the first of two games against rival Kentucky on April 6 in Lexington, while the Wildcats will visit Jim Patterson Stadium in Louisville on April 28. U of L will also play two games against 2009 NCAA Regional squad Western Kentucky on April 14 in Bowling Green and on April 21 in Louisville and a mid-week home game against in-state foe Eastern Kentucky on May 18.

On May 4-5, Louisville will travel to Columbus, Ohio for a two-game, mid-week series against 2009 NCAA Regional participant Ohio State, while on May 11, the Cards will be in Nashville, Tenn., for a mid-week game at Vanderbilt in a rematch of last year’s NCAA Regional title game, which was won by Louisville 5-3.

The 2010 BIG EAST Championship is set for May 26-30 at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla., where the Cardinals have won the last two tournament titles and have an 11-2 record overall. The 2010 NCAA Championship is set to begin on June 4 with regional play.

The 2010 Louisville squad returns seven position starters and most of its pitching staff from a team that finished the season ranked 14th in the nation after making the program’s second NCAA Super Regional appearance in McDonnell’s three years as the head coach.

2010 Vanderbilt Baseball Schedule Released

Commodores to play 35 games at Hawkins Field in spring

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — 35 home games and series against 2009 national champion LSU and College World Series participant Arkansas highlights the 2010 schedule released today by Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin.

The Commodores will face 13 teams that made the NCAA tournament a year ago and 14 teams that finished with 30 or more wins.

Complete 2010 Vanderbilt Schedule (PDF)

Due to changes in the start date for baseball, Vanderbilt will open the season at home for the first time since 2005 as Niagara comes to Hawkins Field the weekend of Feb. 19-21 for a three-game series. VU will play Austin Peay on Feb. 23 before heading to Los Angeles to participate in the Jackie Robinson Tournament the weekend of Feb. 26-28. The Commodores will take on UCLA (Feb. 26) and USC (Feb. 27) at their home parks before concluding the trip against Big 12 power Oklahoma State (Feb. 28) at Dodger Stadium.

“I like the fact that we can open the season here at Hawkins Field for the first time in five years, then go out west the following week to play in a very high caliber tournament to prepare us for Southeastern Conference competition,” said Corbin.

Vanderbilt will return home for a nine-game homestand to start March, including hosting the Music City Classic after a one-year sabbatical. Tennessee Tech (March 2) will take on the Dores to open the skein before Kent State (March 5), Illinois State (March 6) and Indiana (March 7) come to Nashville to participate in the Classic the following weekend. Both Kent State and Indiana made the NCAA field in 2009, with the Commodores and Hoosiers facing off in the Louisville Regional last spring.

VU will close out its non-conference weekend schedule against Ohio (March 12-14) and will play home-and-home games against Western Kentucky (March 16 in Nashville, March 17 in Bowling Green) in midweek action.

The Commodores will open SEC play on the road against Alabama (March 19-21).

Vanderbilt will return home for a seven-game homestand with contests against Lipscomb (March 23), Wright State (March 24) Kentucky (March 26-28) and Wofford (March 30-31).

The Dores open April with a series at Florida (April 2-4) before beginning an eight game stretch at home against Belmont (April 6), South Carolina (April 9-11), Middle Tennessee (April 13) and Auburn (April 16-18).

The team will play its longest stretch away from home at the end of April with six games on the road: Lipscomb (April 20), Middle Tennessee (April 21), Tennessee (April 23-25) and at Austin Peay (April 27).

VU’s final stretch of regular season contests begins with a home series against Georgia (April 30, May 1-2) followed by a road series against defending national champions LSU (May 7-9). The Tigers are back on the schedule after a two-year absence due to the SEC schedule rotation. Ole Miss is not on the schedule for the next two years.

Vanderbilt will host Louisville in a rematch of last season’s regional championship game on May 11.

The Dores will travel to Mississippi State the weekend of May 14-16, before closing out the regular season at home against College World Series participant Arkansas on May 20-22. The series against the Razorbacks is a Thursday, Friday, Saturday set that every team in the league plays on the final weekend in preparation for the conference tournament.

The SEC tourney begins on May 26 in Hoover, Ala., and runs until May 30.

Schedule Notes:

• 2009 NCAA tournament teams on the schedule include Oklahoma State, Tennessee Tech, Kent State, Indiana, Western Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Middle Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, Louisville, Arkansas.

• Opponents with 40 or more wins in 2009: Kent State (43-17), Western Kentucky (42-20), Florida (42-22), South Carolina (40-23), Middle Tennessee (44-18), LSU (56-17), Louisville (47-18), Arkansas (41-24).

• Opponents with 30 or more wins in 2009 (not including above teams): Oklahoma State (34-24), Tennessee Tech (31-24), Indiana (32-27), Alabama (37-21), Auburn (31-25), Georgia (38-24).

• Longest road trip: six games (April 20-27). Longest homestand: nine games (March 2-16).

(Press Release)

Louisiana-Monroe Baseball Announces 2010 Schedule

Warhawks To Face Three 2009 College World Series Teams

MONROE, La.— Three games against 2009 College World Series teams, a regular season-ending series with rival Louisiana-Lafayette and in-state matchups against LSU and Tulane highlight the 2010 ULM baseball schedule released Thursday by Warhawk head coach Jeff Schexnaider.

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)