Kroll checks in with NJIT’s Saporito

Doug Kroll of CSTV checks in with his weekly article about College Baseball this week’s installment focuses on NJIT’s ace starting pitcher P.J. Saporito. He had a huge summer pitching for the Brockport Riverbats of the NYBCL as he pitched a perfect game on July 26th. This was the first perfect game in the history of the NYCBL which finished their 20th season in 2007. The Highlanders head coach Brian Callahan was very excited to get the program more attention with the perfect game as he had people calling him often to talk about the perfect game over the summer. Callahan faces a tough challenge with the Highlanders as they are playing a tough independent schedule which includes a trip to Miami to take on the Hurricanes over spring break. The full 2008 schedule is available here. The full article about the Highlander program is available by clicking here.

Baylor Bears Unveil 2008 Schedule

Baylor baseball head coach Steve Smith announced the Bears’ 2008 schedule Wednesday. The 55-game regular season slate includes 31 games at Baylor Ballpark, including the third-annual QTI Baylor Classic.

The Bears open the 2008 season with nine consecutive home games, starting with a three-game series Feb. 22-24 against Purdue. Baylor welcomes Illinois, Illinois-Chicago and Stephen F. Austin for the QTI Baylor Classic Feb. 29 through March 2.

2008 season tickets go on sale Dec. 1. For more ticket information, contact the Baylor Ticket Office at 254.710.1000 or 1.800.BAYLOR.U.

Baylor’s 2008 schedule features 25 games (45.4 percent of schedule) against 10 opponents who participated in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, including nine games against 2007 Super Regional participants and a three-game series at 2007 College World Series participant Mississippi State (March 7-9). The Bears play 18 games against six opponents who finished the 2007 season ranked in the Baseball America Top 25.

From March 7 to March 23, Baylor plays 12 consecutive games against teams who participated in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. The Bears play 10 of 12 games against 2007 tournament teams from April 18 to May 4.

“This is a good schedule, both for the players and the fans,” Smith said. “It gives the players a chance to be in a familiar environment in the season’s first nine games and again to open Big 12 play. Plus, fans have plenty of opportunities at various points in the season to not only see us play but to see us play top-level competition.”

Due to new NCAA legislation, no Division I program can start its season prior to Feb. 22. This means only three weekends of non-conference play before Big 12 Conference play begins the weekend of March 14; Baylor hosts Oklahoma State to start Big 12 play this season. The new legislation also means an increase in the number of midweek games.

“I’m very much in favor of the universal start date,” Smith said. “I wish the end of the season had been pushed back some to compensate, but it is what it is. All teams must adjust to only three weeks prior to conference play, and all teams must play two midweek games on a regular basis, so there’s no competitive advantage one way or the other. What the new format does allow is more opportunities for pitchers, and that is a definite plus.”

Along with the traditional split-series in Big 12 play, Baylor also hosts Texas for a midweek non-conference tilt April 22. The Bears and the Longhorns meet May 2-4 in Big 12 action with the series opener at Baylor Ballpark and the series’ final two games at Austin.

“We’ve wanted to play Texas in a midweek non-conference game for a while, and the new schedule format made this game even more practical,” Smith said. “Obviously, this is a great opportunity for fans to see two of the conference’s top programs in another game. More than that, though, it is an opportunity for both teams to play top competition in a midweek game. This helps our RPI, Texas’ RPI and the conference’s RPI.”

Baylor’s split-series against Texas A&M is April 18-20 with the series opener at College Station and the series’ final two games at Baylor Ballpark. Other Big 12 schools visiting Waco this season are Oklahoma State (March 14-16), Kansas (April 4-6) and Nebraska (April 25-27). Baylor travels to Missouri (March 21-23), Oklahoma (March 28-30), Kansas State (April 11-13) and Texas Tech (May 16-18) this season in Big 12 play. The 2008 Big 12 Championship is May 21-25 at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.

Last season, Baylor’s strength of schedule ranked 20th nationally; the Bears joined Texas (10th), Portland (15th), Texas A&M (17th) and Georgia (18th) as the only teams in the top 20 not from the state of California. Baylor’s strength of schedule has ranked 20th or better nationally in each of the past seven seasons: 10th in 2006, seventh in 2005, 11th in 2004, fifth in 2003, seventh in 2002 and 10th in 2001.

Baylor returns 19 letterwinners, six position starters and eight pitchers from a 2007 squad that posted a 36-27 record and reached the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in 10 years.

Baylor Press Release.

Baseball Schedule.

Green Wave 2008 Schedule

The Tulane Green Wave have put out their 2008 schedule. They will play 36 home games at newly renovated Turchin Stadium. They will open the season against the University of Illinois-Chicago who competed in the NCAA Tournament in 2007. They will also face NCAA tournament participants East Carolina, Louisiana-Lafayette, Memphis, Minnesota, New Orleans, Pepperdine, Southern Miss, and TCU. They will also square off against to College World Series teams in UC-Irvine and Rice. The Green Wave will participate in one of the elite tournaments this year when they head up to the Metrodome to take part in the Dairy Queen Classic with Minnesota, Pepperdine, and TCU. The Green Wave will welcome conference opponents Marshall, Southern Miss, UCF, and Rice to Turchin Stadium. They will head to conference opponents UAB, Houston, Memphis, and East Carolina. The Green Wave will also host the 2008 Conference USA championships from May 21-25. The full schedule is available in PDF format here.

Holy Cross announces 2008 Schedule

FROM PRESS RELEASE
Worcester, Mass. – Holy Cross athletic director Richard M. Regan Jr. and head baseball coach Greg DiCenzo have announced the Crusaders’ schedule for the 2008 season, which is set to begin on March 1-2, when Holy Cross travels to DeLand, Florida to face Stetson University for games scheduled on Saturday and Sunday.

The Crusaders will then travel to Rollins College for a single game against the hosting team (March 3). While at Rollins, Holy Cross will play St. Joseph’s (March 4), Georgetown and Rollins (March 5), St. Joseph’s (March 6), Georgetown (March 7), and a game to be determined on March 8.

Holy Cross will host Assumption in a doubleheader for its’ first play at Fitton Field of the season. The Crusaders will visit the University of Washington for two doubleheaders (March 15-16) and then head to Siena (March 19).

The Crusaders play the next three games at home, facing LeMoyne (March 20), Quinnipiac (March 22), and Connecticut (March 25). Holy Cross will then travel to Boston College for a single game scheduled on March 26.

Holy Cross kicks off its Patriot League action when it travels to Lehigh (April 5-6) to play two doubleheaders. After traveling to Massachusetts (April 1), the Crusaders will return home to host Harvard (April 2) and a doubleheader with Army (April 5-6). Holy Cross will host Northeastern (April and Hartford (April 9) followed by hitting the road to face Bucknell for four games (April 12-13).

The Crusaders will host Central Connecticut (April 15) followed by a non-conference game at Dartmouth (April 16). Holy Cross will continue its Patriot League play, hosting its’ final two doubleheaders against Lafayette (April 19-20). The Crusaders will play the next seven games on the road beginning with a doubleheader at Brown (April 23) and then to Navy for two doubleheaders (April 26-27), and finishing up the regular season with an away game at Rhode Island (April 29).

The Patriot League Tournament is scheduled for May 10-11 and 17-18, with locations to be determined.

Full Schedule

Lafayette Leopards Update

The Lafayette Leopards have put out the 2008 schedule which is highlighted with a season opening series at VMI. They will make a trip to Bradenton Florida for their annual trip to Florida to play four games. They will open the Liberty Bell Classic on March 25th against the Penn Quakers and will play the winner of the St. Joe’s/Delaware matchup on April 1st. The Leopards will host Patriot League opponents Bucknell and Navy. They will head on the road to take on Holy Cross, Army, and Lehigh. The College Baseball Blog will be in attendance for at least one of the doubleheaders at Holy Cross. The full schedule for the Leopards is available here.

The Lafayette Athletic Department is renovating many fields at the Metzgar Fields Athletic Complex. The Baseball program is getting the most benefit in these renovations with an expansion of the dugouts, more seating, and a better locker room for the team. The full release is available here.

UTA releases 2008 schedule

FROM PRESS RELEASE
Thirty-one games at Clay Gould Ballpark – including a home stretch in March to open Southland Conference play – highlight the 2008 UT Arlington baseball schedule released earlier this week by head coach Jeff Curtis.

The Mavericks open the season Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. against Arkansas-Little Rock.

UTA will play seven games against Big 12 competition. The Mavericks participate in a neutral-site event at Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas, and do battle in two games against Tarrant County rival TCU.

The biggest difference this season is a late start. The NCAA pushed back Opening Day until Feb. 22, which means the Mavericks will cram 56 games into a season that lasts two fewer weeks. Instead of the single mid-week game that became commonplace over the past several years, the Mavericks and most other NCAA Division I teams will play two. In fact, UTA plays a Tuesday, April 15 game against Oklahoma State at Clay Gould Ballpark before traveling to Austin for a game the next day against Texas.

“Finding teams to play is never difficult, but getting the dates to work was a trick this season because of the shorter year,” says Curtis, whose team will try to bounce back from a 13-40 finish last season. “What it means is that teams are going to have to have a deep, deep pitching staffs. We’re going to find out pretty quick what players we’ll have out there because of the number of games we have to start the year.”

Including the season-opener, UTA will play 10 games in the first eight days of the season.

The Southland Conference opener is scheduled Friday, March 14 at home against Lamar, which finished 34-25 overall last season and won the SLC East Division crown with a 20-10 record. That series will close out a stretch the features eight of nine games at home. The only road game in that mix is in Fort Worth against TCU.

“With that many games at home and Lamar coming in, it’s really important that we’re playing well in that two-week span,” Curtis said.

The popular UTA Invitational begins March 6 and includes the Mavericks, Dallas Baptist, McNeese State and Oral Roberts. That game against McNeese State will not count in the conference standings.

Each team in the SLC will play a three-game set against every other team in the league except one. This year, UTA will not face Central Arkansas. UTA’s regular-season schedule ends Saturday, May 17 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The SLC Baseball Tournament is scheduled May 21-25 in Huntsville.

Curtis said another differences from last year to 2008 is that rainouts might simply not be made up. There might not be enough open dates in the schedule.

“It’s a lot of games in a short amount of time, but kids really enjoy that 56-game schedule,” Curtis said. “We’re looking forward to it. Last season was unusual and disappointing, so we’re ready to get underway.”

UC-Irvine announces 2008 schedule and new pitching coach

The UC-Irvine Anteaters and new head coach Mike Gillespie have announced the 2008 schedule. The team will open the season on February 22nd when they head to Nevada to take on the Wolfpack in a three game series. The Anteaters will open the home slate on February 29th when the University of San Francisco heads down the coast. The following weekend they will fly across the country to New Orleans to take on the Tulane Green Wave from March 7th-9th. They will also host Hawaii and take part in the Arizona State tournament before opening up the conference season. The full schedule is available here.

Mike Gillespie has also announced that Ted Silva has been named the new pitching coach for the Anteaters. He spent the 2007 season with the Fresno State program where he developed the team to the second lowest ERA in the conference. Before taking the job with Fresno State, He spent the 2005-2006 season with the Cal-State Fullerton program where he led the team to a nation best ERA. The full release is available here.

Wake Forest releases 2008 schedule

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons have announced their 2008 schedule this past week. They will open the season on February 22nd when they head to Malibu CA to take on the Pepperdine Waves for the beginning of a four game set over three days. The next weekend the Deacons will head to Troy to take part in a tournament where they will play Kennesaw State and Penn State for single game and Troy for two games. The Deacons will host conference opponents Clemson, Maryland, Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Duke. Wake will head on the road to face conference opponents Miami, Boston College, NC State, Virginia, and Georgia Tech. The full schedule is available here.

Northeastern releases 2008 slate

FROM NORTHEASTERN MEDIA RELATIONS
Head coach Neil McPhee of the Northeastern University baseball team has announced his 2008 schedule and it includes 30 CAA contests, the 19th annual Baseball Beanpot Tournament and the fifth annual exhibition with the 2007 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox. The season will begin with the exhibition at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, Fla. on Feb. 29. The team will then spend a week playing at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. before heading north. The Huskies will host CAA opponents George Mason, UNC Wilmington, Towson, Hofstra and James Madison at Friedman Diamond while traveling to Delaware, Georgia State, Virginia Commonwealth, Old Dominion and William & Mary. The CAA Tournament will take place May 21-24 at Brooks Field in Wilmington, N.C.

Full Story
2008 Schedule

Coastal Carolina Announces 2008 Schedule!!

Four in-season tournaments, including the annual Baseball at the Beach at BB&T Coastal Field, 13 games against Atlantic Coast Conference competition, midweek games at traditional powers and 21 Big South Conference games highlight the 2008 Coastal Carolina University baseball schedule, annouced today (Oct. 29) by head coach Gary Gilmore.

Coastal will open the season Friday, Feb. 22 against Maryland in the IMIChotels.com INN-vitational. Coastal will have another game against the Terrapins and two games against Virginia Tech to wrap up that tournament. After a midweek game at the College of Charleston, the Baseball at the Beach Tournament will take place Feb. 29-March 2. Coastal faces Marshall Friday at 4 p.m., West Virginia Saturday at 4 p.m., and host both Western Carolina and George Mason on Sunday, March 2.

Coastal then hosts two more tournaments, the Springmaid Beach Resort Tournament and the Centex Homes Invitational. The Chanticleers will play Toledo and Ball State in the first tournament and Ball State and Michigan, a 2007 NCAA Super Regional participant, in the last in-season tournament of the year. A road game at North Carolina, the 2007 College World Series runner-up, will be in the middle of the two tournaments Tuesday, March 11 at 3 p.m.

Coastal travels to Clemson Tuesday, March 18 at 7:15 p.m. Clemson and Coastal faced off in the championship game of the 2007 NCAA Myrtle Beach Regional. A road game at UNC Wilmington follows the next day. The Chants host Albany for a three-game set March 21-23. After a midweek game at The Citadel, Coastal opens its Big South schedule at Liberty March 28-30. The home portion of the Big South schedule begins April 4-6 against Winthrop. Coastal hosts UNC Asheville and High Point while traveling to Charleston Southern, VMI and Radford on the conference schedule this year. The Chants also have home-and-home matchups with College of Charleston, UNC Wilmington, The Citadel, Elon and Wake Forest.

The Chanticleers have one more non-conference series as they travel to Atlanta, Ga., to face Georgia Tech May 2-4. After the three-game set at Radford May 16-18, the Chanticleers will travel to the Big South Tournament in Danville, Va., May 20-25.

“You look at the challenge we took on last year. I think this one follows suit,” Gilmore said. “It may even be a greater test. We have 13 ACC games plus two with Michigan, who will probably be a top-15 club coming out of the gate. We also have our normal nailbiters with teams from the region. It may be as competitive if not the most competitive schedule we’ve played. For us to ever host again and to one day have a chance to win a regional and move forward, these are the teams outside of our league that we need to play. We’re looking forward to it as we’re trying to build this program to be able to compete with these national powers day in and day out.”

Coastal (50-13) won 50 games in a season for the second time in three years in 2007. Coastal was a top-seed and hosted the 2007 NCAA Myrtle Beach Regional. The Chanticleers also won both the Big South regular season and tournament championship for the first time since 2002.

Press Release

Schedule