College Baseball Notebook-Week 2

A By The Numbers Look At The First Full Week Of The Season

3…Weekend wins over Stanford by Texas.  The Longhorns had dropped 2 of 3 games at home to New Mexico on opening weekend, while the Cardinal had started the season with a home 3-game sweep of Rice.

20-5…Combined score of Texas’ three wins.

1…Home run by Longhorn DH Russell Moldenhauer in the series.  The single longball surpasses his 2009 regular season total.  All four of Moldenhauer’s home runs last season were at the College World Series.

0…Hits allowed in five innings of relief by UT pitcher Cole Green.  He fanned 6 with no walks in the series finale.

18…Strikeouts by UT Arlington pitcher Jason Mitchell in Friday’s win over Missouri State.  Mitchell lost a no-hitter with one out to go in the game, which the Mavericks won 1-0 in 14 innings.   The 18 Ks breaks a school and Southland Conference record.  He struck out at least two batters in all but the 8th inning (1).

0…Runs allowed in 5 innings of relief in that same game by Arlington reliever Adam Boydston, who fanned 8 himself with just one walk and one hit allowed.

2…Wins in three games  by TCU at Cal State Fullerton over the weekend.

4…Home losses by the Titans already this season.

8…Home losses by Fullerton in 2009.

2…Losses in his first two starts by Cal State Fullerton pitcher Daniel Renken after allowing 3 ER in 6 IP in Friday’s loss to the Horned Frogs.

3…Losses by Renken all of last year.

2…Wins by #19 Coastal Carolina over #4 UC Irvine on Saturday in Myrtle Beach, SC.

9…Runs in the 8^th inning of game two of the doubleheader by the Chanticleers to beat the Anteaters 13-6.

2…Combined losses by Irvine pitchers Daniel Bibona and Eric Pettis in Saturday’s twin bill.

3…Combined losses by Bibona and Pettis in 2009.

109…Pitches thrown in 5 1/3 IP by Bibona in his loss.

119…Pitches thrown in 6 2/3 IP by Pettis in his loss.

5…RBIs by Coastal Carolina catcher Jose Iglesias in the doubleheader sweep.  He was 6-for-8 at the plate in the games.

6…Runs scored by Irvine in the 8th inning on Sunday to beat James Madison 15-9 for their only win in Myrtle Beach.  In addition to their losses to Coastal Carolina the Anteaters also fell to North Carolina State.

8…Strikeouts and earned runs allowed in 3 ½ innings by Tennessee’s Bryan Morgado in Friday’s 17-1 loss

to Oregon State.

0…Runs allowed with 9 strikeouts by Oregon State’s Greg Peavey in Sunday’s 1-0 win over the Vols.  Peavey allowed just three hits with one walk in his first win of the season.

0.64…Peavey’s ERA in his first 14 innings pitched this season.

9…Strikeouts in 6 innings by Louisville pitcher Thomas Royse in Friday’s 2-0 win over Michigan.

10…Strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings by Todd McInnis in 26th ranked Southern Mississippi’s 8-2 loss to LeMoyne.

2 of 3…Games Southern Miss. dropped to LeMoyne after falling 12-11 in the series finale.

20…Runners left on base by the Golden Eagles in the pair of defeats.

5…RBIs by Dolphin LF Chris Edomonson in the 12-11 win over USM.

84…Runs scored by Arizona State in its 7-0 start to the season.

18…Runs allowed by the Sun Devils (two unearned) for a 2.36 staff ERA.

15…Runs and hits by Georgia Tech in Saturday’s 15-0 win over Xavier.

1…Win over a top 10 team in the history of Xavier baseball after Sunday’s 7-6 win over #4 Georgia Tech.

4 & 3…Respective errors and unearned runs allowed by the Yellow Jackets in their first loss of 2010.

13…Errors in three games committed by Notre Dame en-route to a 1-2 weekend at the Big Ten/Big East Challenge.

6…Of those errors committed by the Fighting Irish in Sunday’s 8-7 10-inning win over Penn State.

1…Win this season for Maine (1-5) after Saturday’s 5-3 upset of #12 North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

1…Career win for Black Bear pitcher Jeffrey Gibbs, who earned the win vs. the Tar Heels.  He struckout seven and allowed 2 ER in 5 1/3 IP.

2…Career starts by Gibbs-a 6′4-190 lb. freshman from Toronto, Ontario.

12…Strikeouts in 7 IP by Virginia sophomore Danny Hultzen in a 13-0 win over Rhode Island.  The lefty allowed no runs and no walks on two hits to improve to 2-0.

43…Runs scored by the Cavs in their 3-game sweep of URI while allowing just 7 runs to improve to 6-1.

0…Runs allowed in 4 IP by Manhattan freshman reliever John Soldinger in Sunday’s 12-7 win over the 10th ranked Miami Hurricanes.

7…Earned runs allowed in 5 IP by Jasper starting pitcher Mike Gazzola who got credit for the win after exiting with his team leading 9-5.

7 & 9…Combined runs scored and RBIs, respectively, by Manhattan 2-5 batters Mark Onorati, Mike McCann, Chad Salem, and Austin Sheffield in the upset of the Hurricanes.  The quartet also combined to hit .500 (10-for-20).

6-0…Washington State’s record after Sunday’s 10-7 win over Texas Tech in Lubbock, TX.  It’s Wazzou’s best start since going 9-0 to start the 1988 season.

4, 11 & 13…Home runs, RBIs & runs scored by New Mexico State shortstop Ryan Aguayo.  The junior hit .440 with an 1.120 slugging percentage in six games last week.

3…Of Aguayo’s home runs that came in one game-a 17-5 win over Akron.  He hit half of the Aggies’ 6 HRs in the contest.

4 & 9…Home runs and RBIs by Eastern Kentucky’s Anthony Ottrando in the Colonel’s season-opening 3-game series vs. Western Carolina.

11…RBIs with 3 home runs in 3 games by Auburn’s Brian Fletcher.  His 10th inning walk-off home run gave the Tigers a Friday win over Boston College.

15…Strikeouts in 7 IP by Ole Miss lefty Drew Pomeranz in a win over Oakland.  He allowed just a run on a solo HR.

8-0…The deficit top-ranked LSU faced in the middle of the 6th inning at home Saturday vs. William & Mary. The Tigers scored 8 runs in the bottom of the 6th and then added two more runs in the 7th to win 10-9.

22…Years since LSU had overcome as big a deficit.  They came back from 10 runs down to beat Ole Miss in 1988.

13 1/3…Total innings pitched in two outings last week by Kansas pitcher Cameron Selik.  The junior allowed just one earned run with 10 strikeouts vs. Eastern Michigan and Sacramento State.

Wright State 2010 Baseball Schedule

Horizon League Champs Look To Return To NCAAs

DAYTON, Ohio – The Wright State baseball team continues to upgrade their schedule and head coach Rob Cooper has put together another solid schedule for his team in 2010. The Raiders will look to defend their 2009 Horizon League Championship against a schedule that will have an unmatched degree of difficulty compared to any previous season. The Green and Gold will face six teams

that made the NCAA Tournament last season and square off against teams from 12 different conferences.

Complete 2010 Wright State Schedule

The Raiders will face 2009 College World Series participant Virginia, Super Regional Participant Clemson, along with Dartmouth, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt and Xavier who were all among the field of 64 at season’s end in 2009. The Raiders appeared in their third NCAA Regional in 2009 – their second in four seasons under Cooper – and dropped a pair of tightly contests to nationally ranked TCU and Texas A&M at the Ft. Worth Regional.

In 2010, the Raiders will play 26 games versus Horizon League opponents and, in their 31 other scheduled contests, WSU will face teams from 12 separate conferences. WSU will face teams from the ACC, Atlantic 10, Big East, Big XII, Conference USA, Ivy Group, Mid-American Conference, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Missouri Valley Conference, SEC and Summit League, along with independent LeMoyne.

“Our 2010 schedule features a wealth of talented teams from around the nation,” said head coach Rob Cooper. “We will see many different styles of baseball to open the season and play some very good baseball teams to prepare us for the Horizon League schedule. Our goal is to play in an NCAA Regional every season and we have a handful of teams on our schedule, this season, which play at that level.”

The Green and Gold will open the season with four games in a round-robin tournament with Canisius and LeMoyne (2/19-21) at the USA Baseball Training Complex in Cary, NC. The following weekend, coach Cooper and his squad will head to Clemson, SC to tangle with the Tigers (2/26-28) in a three game series with the 11-time College World Series participant.

The next weekend will feature a pair of NCAA Tournament participants as the Raiders will head to Charlottesville, Virginia to play in the UVA Tournament. WSU will bookend their game against Dartmouth (3/6) with a pair of contests versus Virginia (3/5 and 3/7), who advanced to the College World Series last season. WSU will then co-host a round robin affair and kick off their home slate with a single game versus Oakland (3/12) and a twinbill with Indiana State (3/13), before traveling to Dayton for a contest on March 14.

The next three of the next four opponents for the Raiders will include a trio of NCAA Tournament regulars. WSU will travel south to take on Kentucky in a midweek tilt (3/17) before heading to Oklahoma State for a round robin tournament. The Green and Gold will take on Missouri State (3/19 and 3/21) twice and take on the host Cowboys (3/20 and 3/21) in a pair of contests. Wright State will conclude their road trip with a single game at Vanderbilt on Wednesday, March 24.

“The Horizon League has become a very competitive conference from top to bottom over the past few seasons,” said Cooper. “Every team has a chance to win on any day and our hope is that the non-conference schedule prepares our team for the grind of the league schedule. We want to be playing our best baseball at the end of the year and competing against the teams from our conference will prepare us to defend our Horizon League Championship.”

From there, WSU will open Horizon League play with a three-game set versus Valparaiso (3/26-27) at Nischwitz Stadium and then host Xavier (3/31) to close out the month. April will start with six of the first seven games on the road, with coach Cooper leading his squad into a series at Butler (4/2-3), before hosting Ohio (4/6) and traveling to Cleveland State (4/9-10) and taking part in the Joe Nuxhall Classic (4/13-14) hosted by Miami University.

The Green and Gold will then host eight-time defending Horizon League Regular Season Champion UIC for three games (4/16-17) and, then, square off with Dayton (4/21) in WSU’s Fifth Annual Military Appreciation Night at Nischwitz Stadium.

The next nine games will be on the road for the defending Horizon League Tournament Champions, starting with a double-header swing through the Chicago-area. WSU will compete at Valparaiso (4/23) and at UIC (4/24), before returning to the Buckeye State for five contests. After traveling to Toledo (4/28) for a midweek tilt, the Green and Gold will head to Niles, Ohio for a three-game series with Youngstown State (4/30-5/1).

The schedule sees a pair of contests with Cincinnati on back-to-back days, staring at Marge Schott Stadium on May 4 and then followed with a contest at Nischwitz Stadium on May 5. The next seven games will be played at Nischwitz Stadium with Milwaukee coming to town for a three game series on May 7 and 8. Cleveland State and Youngstown State will venture south for a pair of twinbills scheduled on Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16, respectively.

The Green and Gold will close out the regular season with a trip to Huntington, WV to take on the Thundering Herd of Marshall. WSU will play one game each day versus the Herd starting on May 20 and ending on May 22.

The 2010 Horizon League Championship will take place at U.S. Steel Yard in Gary, Ind. as the Raiders will begin their title defense on Wednesday, May 26. A champion will be crowned on Saturday, May 29, with a rain date on Sunday, May 30, where WSU will be looking to defend their 2009 title and make a third NCAA Tournament appearance in the last five years.

(Release)

Campbell 2010 Baseball Schedule

Non-Conference Games Vs. ECU And NC State Highlight Slate

BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Games against in-state rivals East Carolina, UNC Wilmington, and NC State, a matchup with 2009 regional opponent, Xavier University, and a 27-game conference schedule highlight the 2010 spring schedule for the Fighting Camels baseball squad.

This schedule marks the third in the tenure of Greg Goff but it promises to be one of the most challenging since his arrival in Buies Creek previous to the 2008 campaign. Campbell will face off against 21 different teams during the spring, with

these teams having won a combined 516 contests during the 2009 season.

Complete 2010 Campbell Schedule (PDF)

“We have put together another demanding, but exciting schedule for the 2010 season highlighted with in-state opponents NC State, East Carolina, and UNC-Wilmington,” head coach Greg Goff said. “Our goal with this schedule was to build on the momentum of our record-setting home attendance from last season, and being able to have 33 home games was definitely a bonus. This allows our fans a good opportunity to come out and have a great time watching our team compete against some first-rate opponents.”

Asheville and NC State highlight first week

Campbell opens the 2010 slate at home against UNC Asheville with a single contest on February 19th followed by a doubleheader on February 20th. The Bulldogs, under new head coach Tom Smith, are looking to be provide a tough challenge for the first weekend of the season. After the home weekend against UNC Asheville, the Fighting Camels hit the road for the short trip to Raleigh to face off against in-state ACC foe, North Carolina State.

Last season Campbell swept the home and home two-game series with the Wolfpack, marking the first time in school history they were able to accomplish that feat.  The Fighting Camels will finish the month of February with a home and home matchup against North Carolina A&T. The first contest will take place in Greensboro on February 26th and the doubleheader at Taylor Field to follow on the 27th.

Nine game home stretch kicks off March for Fighting Camels

The month of March starts off with a two-week home stand for Coach Goff’s squad, as they square off against Xavier University, UNC Wilmington, Savannah State, and LaSalle University. Campbell will start off the month facing the defending Atlantic 10 champion and 2009 NCAA Regional participant Xavier University on March 2, followed by a contest against in-state rival and 2008 NCAA Regional Participant UNC Wilmington on the 3rd.

The Fighting Camels will be renewing one of their long standing rivalries with the Seahawks, having split their last home and home series in 2008, with UNC Wilmington taking the contest at Taylor Field 6-4, and Campbell knocking off the #22-ranked Seahawks 8-6 in Wilmington.

The 9-game home stand will conclude with a three-game weekend series against Savannah State, and a mid-week clash with the LaSalle Explorers on March 9 and 10.  Campbell has won 3 of the last 4 games against these two teams, including a two game sweep of Savannah State last year, and a two game split against the Explorers in 2006.

Mercer to start off 2010 Atlantic Sun slate

Campbell will head on the road to Macon, Ga. for the first conference series of the young 2010 season against the Mercer Bears. Last year the series against Mercer was cancelled due to four days set of heavy rain in Buies Creek. In 2008, Campbell also opened conference play with the Bears, winning game one and then dropping the following two.  But, the Fighting Camels got even that year by eliminating Mercer from the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament with an 11-3 victory in Deland.

The series between the Fighting Camels and Mercer has always been competitive as the series split is 27-26 in favor of Campbell. The Bears finished the 2009 slate with a 23-23 record and will be bringing back a load of talent from that squad and promises to be a frontrunner in the Atlantic Sun.

Following the trip to Macon, Campbell will return to the friendly confines of Taylor Field to face off against Maryland-Eastern Shore in a two game set starting on March 16th.  The last time these two teams faced off against each other was in 2000 and Campbell holds a 3-0 series lead over the Eagles.

Campbell will then face its second Atlantic Sun opponent in Kennesaw State starting on March 19th. Last season the two split the conference series 1-1 as the third game was cancelled due to inclement weather. The Owls hold the series lead 3-6 over the Fighting Camels.

Campbell will conclude a 7-game home stand with North Carolina State coming to Buies Creek on March 23rd. They will then conclude the month of March with a three-game conference series against the Ospreys of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, and return home to play Norfolk State on March 30, with Campbell returning the trip to Norfolk on May 11th.

April Presents Good Challenges for the Fighting Camels

Campbell will back to Florida over the first weekend of April, this time to Deland to face off against Atlantic Sun traditional power Stetson University. The Hatters have made regional appearances in 4 of the last 8 years, and will be an ASUN favorite once again in 2010. The Camels will then head down to Wilmington, N.C. for the completion of the home and home series with the Seahawks.

Taylor Field will play host to two of the last three weekends in April as the Camels will host the two-time  defending Atlantic Sun regular season champs Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, on April 9 and 10, and the East Tennessee State on April 23 and 24.  Campbell will hit the road to Spartanburg, SC to face Atlantic Sun foe USC Upstate on April 16 and 17.

April will also feature the annual two-game home and home series with 2009 NCAA Super Regional participant East Carolina Pirates.  On April 13 the Fighting Camels will travel to Greenville where they were victorious last season 12-8 against the # 17 ranked Pirates.  ECU will return the trip the next week, April 20, for a rematch of a thrilling 10-9 ECU victory at Taylor Field in 2009.

Camels Hit the Stretch Run in May

The Fighting Camels will begin May by playing a weekend series against in-state foe North Carolina Central University with the Friday game (April 30th) being played at Taylor Field and the following two being played in Durham at the legendary Durham Athletic Park on May 1. The DAP was showcased during the filming of the iconic baseball film Bull Durham, and now serves as the home field for the NCCU Eagles.

The non-conference slate for May will feature 4 games against Longwood University, beginning with a home weekend series on May 7-8, and a trip to Farmville, Va. on May 18th.

The conference schedule will feature the traditional May opponents for Campbell as they visit Nashville for a showdown with the Bruins from Belmont University on May 14 and 15, and host the Bisons from Lipscomb University on the final weekend of the regular season, May 20 and 21.  In 2009, the Fighting Camels went 3-3 against these respective conference opponents, taking 2 or 3 from the Bruins at Taylor Field, and dropping 2 of 3 to the Bisons in Nashville.

The Atlantic Sun Championship will take place in Nashville, Tennessee, May 26-29, 2010. The top six seeds will advance to the conference tournament out of a possible ten teams, with the winner of the tournament earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament.

(Release)

Cincinnati 2010 Baseball Schedule

Two trips to Florida and five home conference series highlight 2010 ledger

CINCINNATI – Two trips to Florida to open the season and 31 home games highlight the 2010 University of Cincinnati baseball schedule. After falling just one win short of its second consecutive 30-win season, the Bearcats look to eclipse that plateau and contend for a BIG EAST Conference Championship in 2010.

UC will spend the first two weeks of the season in Florida beginning with a three-game set in Boca Raton, Fla., Feb. 19-21 against Florida Atlantic University. The Bearcats will then return to the Sunshine State Feb. 26-28, when

they participate in the second Big Ten-BIG EAST Baseball Challenge in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Fla., area. Cincinnati will open the Big Ten-BIG EAST Baseball Challenge against Penn State, before taking on Purdue and Ohio State to round out the event.

Complete 2010 Cincinnati Schedule

Following the Big Ten-BIG EAST Challenge, the Bearcats kick off their 31-game home schedule with a three-game series versus Youngstown State March 5-7. UC also will host LeMoyne College (March 10), Niagara (March 12-14), Toledo (March 19-21), Kentucky (March 30), Xavier (April 28), and Miami University (May 11) at Marge Schott Stadium in non-conference contests.

The Red and Black hit the road for non-conference games at Butler (March 23), at Dayton (March 24), at Ohio (April 20), at Xavier (April 27), at Wright State (May 5), and at Miami University (May 12). After hosting the Joe Nuxhall Classic last year, UC will travel up the road to Miami (OH) and McKie Field at Hayden Park to participate in the second Joe Nuxhall Classic April 13-14. For the second year in a row, the teams competing for the Joe Nuxhall Classic title will be UC, Miami (OH), Xavier, and Wright State.

UC plays five of its nine conference series’ at home this season, but the conference slate begins March 26-28 when the Bearcats travel to Plymouth Meeting, Penn., to take on Villanova. Other conference road series include Seton Hall (April 9-11), Notre Dame (23-25), and Connecticut (May 8-9).

USF (April 1-3), St. John’s (April 16-18), West Virginia (April 30-May 2), Pittsburgh (May 14-16), and Georgetown (May 20-22) will all make the trip to Clifton to play in Marge Schott Stadium, which was voted on by BIG EAST players and coaches as the favorite conference venue to play in.

(Release)

Richmond 2010 Baseball Schedule

Spiders to face seven NCAA Regional teams and two College World Series in 2010

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – Third-year head coach Mark McQueen has announced the University of Richmond’s 2010 baseball schedule, with the Spiders set to play seven NCAA Regional teams, two College World Series participants, along with 29 home games at historic Pitt Field.

The Spiders’ aggressive 56-game schedule features seven teams that reached the Regionals of the 2009 NCAA Tournament – Virginia, North Carolina, George Mason, Ohio State, Xavier, Oklahoma and Jacksonville. The Cavaliers and the Tar Heels each reached the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

“We’re very excited about this year’s schedule,” said McQueen. “On paper, it’s one of the toughest we’ve played in quite some time. These early-season games should provide our veteran club with good tests to prepare us for the remainder of a difficult schedule.”

Complete Richmond 2010 Schedule (PDF)

The 2010 season opens with six of the first seven games in Jacksonville, Fla., as the Spiders are set to play in both the North Florida and Jacksonville invitationals on consecutive weekends. The season opener is Florida A&M on Feb. 19, followed by North Florida and Ohio State.

Richmond is home to host VMI in the Pitt Field opener on Feb. 23, before returning to the Sunshine State to battle Valparaiso, Jacksonville and Oklahoma.

Also highlighting the schedule are home-and-home series with Commonwealth rivals George Mason, Old Dominion, Longwood and VMI. The in-city rivalry with VCU is set for April 6 at The Diamond and April 14 at Pitt Field.

Atlantic 10 play opens with the Spiders hosting Fordham at Pitt Field March 26-28, with A-10 Champion Xavier in town the following weekend.

Richmond’s other conference weekends are: Massachusetts (away), George Washington (home), Temple (away), Saint Joseph’s (home), Duquesne (away), Rhode Island (away) and the regular-season finale at home versus Charlotte.

The Spiders welcome back all but one position player and three pitchers off the 2009 club that was among the youngest in college baseball. Seven of Richmond’s starting position players in 2009 were either freshmen or sophomores.

Sophomore 2B Adam McConnell, who was an A-10 All-Rookie and Ping Freshman All-America last season, returns after leading the Spiders with a .355 average, while his 31 stolen bases were the most by a freshman in the NCAA last season, set a school freshman record and were the third-most ever in a single-season at Richmond.

McConnell, along with senior 3B Cameron Brown and senior SS Victor Croglio comprise one of the most talented defensive infields in the A-10. Brown batted .340 and slugged a team-leading 11 home runs, with Croglio drove in 16 runs, stole eight bases and committed just six errors in 119 chances.

Senior LHP Matt Zielinski anchors a pitching staff that lost its career saves leader in Brian Alas, righty starter Stephen Owens and reliever Josh Horn. Zielinski is an All-Conference performer who owns a 13-11 record, a 4.60 ERA, 178 strikeouts and 74 walks in his career.

Richmond finished 22-25 last season in its 94th season of baseball.

(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)

Eastern Kentucky 2010 Schedule

RICHMOND, Ky. – A new-look 2010 baseball schedule was released on Monday by second-year Eastern Kentucky University head coach Jason Stein. The schedule is highlighted by a series with Purdue at Turkey Hughes Field, a spring break trip through the state of North Carolina, a neutral-site showdown with West Virginia and trips to Tennessee and Louisville.

“It is certainly a demanding schedule,” Stein said. “And I think our fall practices have been better as a result of this upcoming schedule. The non-conference portion of it should prepare us well for a tough OVC slate this year.”

Instead of hosting an early-season tournament at Turkey Hughes Field, as the Colonels have done the past several seasons, EKU will open the 2010 season with a three game series at Western Carolina from February 26-28. The Colonels fell to the Catamounts last year in Cullowhee, 24-23, in a mid-week, five-hour slugfest.

Complete 2010 Eastern Kentucky Schedule

The Colonels’ home opener will come on March 2 when they host Ohio as the second half of a home-and-home series dating back to last year.

Following a trip to Knoxville on March 3 to take on Tennessee, EKU will spend spring break (March 5-14) in North Carolina facing the likes of Presbyterian, UNC Greensboro, North Carolina A&T and High Point.

Two days after returning home, the Colonels will host the Boilermakers for a two-game series at Turkey Hughes Field from March 16-17.

The series with Purdue is the first third of a homestand that extends to March 23 and features a three game series with Bowling Green and single game with Miami (Ohio).

EKU begins its OVC schedule against the team it ended with in 2009: Eastern Illinois. The Panthers visit Turkey Hughes Field for a three game stand beginning on March 27.

The Colonels will host three more conference series in 2010 against Austin Peay (April 10-11), Tennessee Tech (May 1-2) and Jacksonville State (the final conference series of the year, May 15-16).

Outside of the OVC, EKU will take on West Virginia in Charleston, W.V. on April 13 and will travel to Louisville to face the Cardinals on May 18.

Other non-conference games include a home-and-home with Marshall (home on March 31, away on April 14), a two game series at East Tennessee State (April 6-7), visits from Xavier (May 12) and the University of the Cumberlands (April 20), trips to Western Kentucky (April 28) and Dayton (May 11) and a three game series with future OVC school SIU Edwardsville to end the regular season (May 21-23).

Another point of interest concerning the schedule is that the 2010 OVC Baseball Championship will be held at Pringles Park in Jackson, Tenn., not at Brooks Stadium in Paducah, Ky. where the tournament had been played the last nine seasons.

The Colonels return three All-OVC players, as well as three OVC All-Newcomers, for the 2010 campaign.

EKU’s Fall World Series will be held at Turkey Hughes Field this Friday and Saturday, November 13-14.

2010 Rhode Island Baseball Schedule

Rams looking to build on their record-setting 2009 campaign

KINGSTON, R.I. – The Rhode Island baseball program has released its 2010 schedule, which is highlighted by a trip to Virginia for a three-game series against the Cavaliers, who participated in the 2009 College World Series.

After a record-breaking season in 2009 – where the Rams set new single-season marks in wins, hits, runs, doubles,

home runs and fielding percentage – the 2010 squad will look to pick up where it left off, returning all but three starters (two pitchers, one infielder) from a year ago.

Rhody opens the new season with a three-game series at Mississippi State (Feb. 19-21) before heading to Charlottesville, Va. for three games against the Virginia Cavaliers.

Complete 2010 Rhode Island Schedule

The Rams will spend March 6-11 in Winter Haven, Fla., facing various opponents who have yet to be determined. URI then travels to UNC Wilmington for a three-game series beginning on Friday, March 19. From there, Rhody will travel to William and Mary for a pair of games on the 23rd and 24th.

The Atlantic 10 portion of the schedule will feature home series against Charlotte (April 9-11), Massachusetts (April 16-18), Xavier (April 23-25), Richmond (May 14-16), and George Washington (May 20-22).

The Rams will travel to play three-game conference series at Temple (March 26-28), Fordham (April 1-3), Duquesne (April 30-May 2), and St. Bonaventure (May 7-9).

The Ram’s non-conference home schedule features games against Central Connecticut (March 30), Boston College (March 31), Quinnipiac (April 13), Bryant (April 14), Brown (April 27), Siena (April 28) and Northeastern (May 19).

Rhode Island will also face Northeastern (April 7), Sacred Heart (April 20) and Connecticut (April 21) on the road.

Atlantic 10 action will wrap up at the league’s 2010 Championship at Campbell’s Field in Camden, N.J., from May 26-29.

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.

Indiana Baseball Announces 2010 Schedule

2010 Hoosier Slate Included 12 Games vs. 2009 NCAA Teams

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana baseball team has released its 2010 schedule, head coach Tracy Smith announced today. The Hoosiers, who open the season in San Diego, will play at least 12 games against teams that participated in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

“We’re looking forward to what should be a challenging schedule in 2010,” Smith said. “It will be a good experience for our Southern California kids to open the season in San Diego where a lot of them are from, and with the second year of the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge and the Vanderbilt Tournament, we should face some strong early-season competition which will prepare us for the Big Ten.”

The Hoosiers open the season with four games in San Diego, in a weekend that will be a homecoming for IU’s four natives of Southern California. Indiana will take on the University of San Diego on both Friday and Saturday, with a doubleheader scheduled for the second day. IU will also play a Sunday contest at NCAA participant San Diego State during the four-game weekend swing.

The second weekend of the season sees the second annual Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge in Clearwater/St. Petersburg, Fla. IU will face off against West Virginia for the second straight year at the Challenge in addition to the first-ever contests against Villanova and Connecticut. The Hoosiers took two out of three games at the 2009 Challenge as the Big Ten won the battle of the two leagues, 15-9.

After playing its first game in the state on March 2 at Indiana State, IU then travels to the Music City Classic in Nashville, Tenn., hosted by Vanderbilt. The Hoosiers and Commodores, who faced off at the Louisville NCAA Regional last year, will be joined by Illinois State and NCAA participant Kent State at the weekend event.

Following a March 9 trip to face off with NCAA opponent Louisville, Indiana will embark on its Spring Trip, which will take the Hoosiers to Winter Haven, Fla., for the second straight year. Times and opponents are yet to be determined for the trip.

After a road game at Morehead State on March 23, IU has its home opener against 2009 Houston Regional participant Xavier on March 24 to begin an eight-game homestand. IU faces St. Francis and Taylor on March 26 and 27, and then Louisville visits on March 30 for the final game before conference play. Indiana opens Big Ten action on Friday, April 2, against Michigan for a three-game set.

During Big Ten action, the Hoosiers also play host to Iowa (April 16-18), Purdue (April 30-May 2) and Illinois (May 20-22). Road series include sets at Ohio State (April 9-11), Minnesota (April 23-25), Northwestern (May 7-9) and Michigan State (May 14-16), as Penn State leaves the conference schedule for the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Other non-conference highlights include a trip to Gary, Ind., to face Valparaiso at Railcats Stadium and home games against Ball State (April 6), Indiana State (April 28) and Kentucky (May 11). Other conference road contests pit the Hoosiers against Miami University (April 20) and Evansville (May 18).

The Hoosiers will look to return to the Big Ten Tournament for the third straight season after taking the conference title in 2009, the second such championship in school history. IU has never made three straight conference tourney appearances since the tournament’s inception in 1981. The 2010 tournament is scheduled for May 26-30, with the location yet to be determined.

(Press Release)