Baseball: Van Zant Announces 2009 Schedule
December 16, 2008 05:17 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
December 16, 2008
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| Greg Van Zant |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University baseball coach Greg Van Zant has announced the 2009 schedule, which features 28 games at Hawley Field.
The Mountaineers’ 56-game schedule includes a compilation of competitive games and tournaments, including the inaugural BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge that kicks off the regular season. WVU will begin the year facing Indiana on Friday, Feb. 20, at 10 a.m. in St. Petersburg, Fla., before taking on other Big Ten foes in Minnesota, Illinois and Northwestern during the four-game trip.
“This is definitely the most difficult schedule we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Van Zant said. “Our coaching staff and players are looking forward to the challenge that our schedule presents.”
WVU returns to the “Baseball at the Beach” Tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C., facing a field that includes Southeastern Conference powerhouse Tennessee, nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina and Brown.
Another SEC opponent in Kentucky, which finished last season ranked No. 25 in the final USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches’ Poll, greets WVU in a return of the Mountaineer Diamond Classic on Tuesday, March 24, at 6 p.m. at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, W.Va.
Highlighting the home slate are BIG EAST matchups against 2008 regular season conference champion St. John’s on April 9-11, as well as a three-game series that includes a doubleheader against BIG EAST runner-up Cincinnati on May 9-10.
Georgetown and Rutgers make up the other two conference home series at Hawley Field, while Connecticut, Villanova, Notre Dame, USF and Pitt compose WVU’s BIG EAST road series opponents. WVU begins conference play with a three-game road series against UConn on March 20-22.
Atlantic Coast Conference rival Maryland also makes its way to Morgantown, visiting the Mountaineers for a one-game series on Wednesday, April 29, at 5 p.m.
The BIG EAST Championship will be played on May 19-23 at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla. The Mountaineers made the field last season, which includes the top eight schools from the 12-team conference.
WVU finished last season with a 35-21 overall record, ending its year with the nation’s fifth-best batting average at .341. The Mountaineers return four of five All-BIG EAST performers, including 2009 Brooks Wallace Preseason Watch List players Jedd Gyorko and Justin Parks.
| Date | Opponent | Time/Result |
| Feb. 20 | vs. Indiana (St. Petersburg, Fla.) | 10 am |
| Feb. 21 | vs. Minnesota (Clearwater, Fla.) | 10 am |
| Feb. 22 | vs. Illinois (St. Petersburg, Fla.) | 1 pm |
| Feb. 23 | Northwestern (Tampa, Fla.) | 11 am |
| Feb. 27 | vs. Tennessee (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) | Noon |
| Feb. 27 | vs. Coastal Carolina (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) | 4 pm |
| Feb. 28 | vs. Brown (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) | 6 pm |
| March 1 | vs. Coastal Carolina (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) | Noon |
| March 4 | at Radford | 3 pm |
| March 6 | NEW JERSEY TECH | 3 pm |
| March 7 | NEW JERSEY TECH (2) | Noon |
| March 8 | NEW JERSEY TECH | Noon |
| March 9 | CANISIUS | 3 pm |
| March 11 | DUQUESNE | 3 pm |
| March 13 | SIENA | 3 pm |
| March 14 | SIENA (2) | 1 pm |
| March 15 | SIENA | 1 pm |
| March 17 | at Morehead State | 3 pm |
| March 20 | at Connecticut | 1 pm |
| March 21 | at Connecticut | 1 pm |
| March 22 | at Connecticut | Noon |
| March 24 | vs. Kentucky (Charleston, W.Va.) | 6 pm |
| March 27 | at Villanova | 3:15 pm |
| March 28 | at Villanova | 12:15 pm |
| March 29 | at Villanova | 12:15 pm |
| March 31 | DUQUESNE | 4 pm |
| April 1 | OHIO | 5 pm |
| April 3 | GEORGETOWN | 5 pm |
| April 4 | GEORGETOWN | 3 pm |
| April 5 | GEORGETOWN | 1 pm |
| April 9 | ST. JOHN'S | 7:05 pm |
| April 10 | ST. JOHN'S | 5 pm |
| April 11 | ST. JOHN'S | 1 pm |
| April 13 | MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE | 5 pm |
| April 14 | at Duquesne | 4 pm |
| April 17 | at Notre Dame | 6:05 pm |
| April 18 | at Notre Dame | 3:05 pm |
| April 19 | at Notre Dame | 1:05 pm |
| April 22 | at Ohio | 6 pm |
| April 24 | at USF | 7 pm |
| April 25 | at USF | 7 pm |
| April 26 | at USF | 1 pm |
| April 28 | MOREHEAD STATE | 7:05 pm |
| April 29 | MARYLAND | 5 pm |
| May 1 | RUTGERS | 7:05 pm |
| May 2 | RUTGERS | 3 pm |
| May 3 | RUTGERS | 1 pm |
| May 9 | CINCINNATI (2) | 3 pm |
| May 10 | CINCINNATI | 1 pm |
| May 11 | YOUNGSTOWN STATE | 7:05 pm |
| May 14 | at Pitt | 6 pm |
| May 15 | at Pitt | 3 pm |
| May 16 | at Pitt | 1 pm |
| May 19-23 | at Big East Championships (Clearwater, Fla.) | TBA |
| May 30-June2 | at NCAA Regionals | TBA |
