Baseball: Luck Announces 2011 Slate
December 08, 2010 05:00 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University Director of Athletics Oliver Luck announced today the 2011 baseball schedule.
The Mountaineers, returning to the diamond after three straight BIG EAST tournament appearances, are set for a 57-game slate that features 26 teams, including three 2010 NCAA tournament participants.
“Coach Greg Van Zant has once again put together a tough schedule that should challenge the Mountaineers throughout the 2011 season,” Luck says.
WVU opens the season at the third annual BIG EAST/Big Ten Baseball Challenge, hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission. The Mountaineers open against Iowa, the 2010 Big Ten tournament runner-up, on Feb. 18, followed by games against Penn State on Feb. 19 and Illinois on Feb. 20.
From there, the Mountaineers will compete at the Hughes Brothers Challenge in Wilmington, N.C., on Feb. 25-28. WVU meets Marist for two games and also will face Miami (Ohio) and UNC-Wilmington.
The Mountaineers close out their early-season road trip in Elon, N.C., on March 4-6, with two games each against the host Phoenix, an NCAA regional qualifier the last three years, and Wright State.
“We’re really going to face some good competition throughout those first three weeks on the road,” says 17-year coach Van Zant. “They will be challenging games, and we’re looking forward to that type of start to the season.”
After opening their home season at Hawley Field on March 8-9 with a two-game stand against Bryant, the Mountaineers will play host to 2010 NCAA regional participant, Rider, on March 11-13.
Also highlighting the Mountaineers’ nonconference schedule is a March 29 meeting with Morehead State at the annual Mountaineer Diamond Classic, in Charleston, W.Va.
Additional nonconference home matchups include games against Eastern Kentucky (March 15), Canisius (March 18-19), Eastern Michigan (March 22-23), Maryland (April 5) and Akron (April 26). WVU also will face William & Mary (April 12) and Akron (May 10) on the road.
WVU opens its BIG EAST slate with a trip to USF on March 25-27. The Mountaineers and Bulls met only once last year, with USF eliminating WVU from the conference tournament with a 10-5 decision on May 27.
After their game against the Eagles in Charleston, the Mountaineers will stay on the road for a three-game stand at Louisville on April 1-3. The Cardinals, the 2010 conference regular-season champions, were seeded No. 7 nationally in last year’s NCAA tournament before being eliminated in the their own regional. Of the conference’s three NCAA tournament participants, the Cardinals are the only team the Mountaineers will face this year.
“The BIG EAST Conference is really good, and our first two weekends in league action are just about as tough as you can get,” Van Zant explains. “If we can get a few wins out of those series, we should have a lot of confidence heading into the remainder of league play.”
WVU’s BIG EAST schedule includes four home series against Georgetown (April 8-10), Seton Hall (April 21-23), Cincinnati (May 7-8) and Rutgers (May 19-21). The Mountaineers will travel to Notre Dame (April 15-17), Villanova (April 29 – May 1) and Pitt (May 13-15).
The Mountaineers finished at 27-30 last season.
The Mountaineers, returning to the diamond after three straight BIG EAST tournament appearances, are set for a 57-game slate that features 26 teams, including three 2010 NCAA tournament participants.
“Coach Greg Van Zant has once again put together a tough schedule that should challenge the Mountaineers throughout the 2011 season,” Luck says.
WVU opens the season at the third annual BIG EAST/Big Ten Baseball Challenge, hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission. The Mountaineers open against Iowa, the 2010 Big Ten tournament runner-up, on Feb. 18, followed by games against Penn State on Feb. 19 and Illinois on Feb. 20.
From there, the Mountaineers will compete at the Hughes Brothers Challenge in Wilmington, N.C., on Feb. 25-28. WVU meets Marist for two games and also will face Miami (Ohio) and UNC-Wilmington.
The Mountaineers close out their early-season road trip in Elon, N.C., on March 4-6, with two games each against the host Phoenix, an NCAA regional qualifier the last three years, and Wright State.
“We’re really going to face some good competition throughout those first three weeks on the road,” says 17-year coach Van Zant. “They will be challenging games, and we’re looking forward to that type of start to the season.”
After opening their home season at Hawley Field on March 8-9 with a two-game stand against Bryant, the Mountaineers will play host to 2010 NCAA regional participant, Rider, on March 11-13.
Also highlighting the Mountaineers’ nonconference schedule is a March 29 meeting with Morehead State at the annual Mountaineer Diamond Classic, in Charleston, W.Va.
Additional nonconference home matchups include games against Eastern Kentucky (March 15), Canisius (March 18-19), Eastern Michigan (March 22-23), Maryland (April 5) and Akron (April 26). WVU also will face William & Mary (April 12) and Akron (May 10) on the road.
WVU opens its BIG EAST slate with a trip to USF on March 25-27. The Mountaineers and Bulls met only once last year, with USF eliminating WVU from the conference tournament with a 10-5 decision on May 27.
After their game against the Eagles in Charleston, the Mountaineers will stay on the road for a three-game stand at Louisville on April 1-3. The Cardinals, the 2010 conference regular-season champions, were seeded No. 7 nationally in last year’s NCAA tournament before being eliminated in the their own regional. Of the conference’s three NCAA tournament participants, the Cardinals are the only team the Mountaineers will face this year.
“The BIG EAST Conference is really good, and our first two weekends in league action are just about as tough as you can get,” Van Zant explains. “If we can get a few wins out of those series, we should have a lot of confidence heading into the remainder of league play.”
WVU’s BIG EAST schedule includes four home series against Georgetown (April 8-10), Seton Hall (April 21-23), Cincinnati (May 7-8) and Rutgers (May 19-21). The Mountaineers will travel to Notre Dame (April 15-17), Villanova (April 29 – May 1) and Pitt (May 13-15).
The Mountaineers finished at 27-30 last season.
SWIM: What it Means to Represent West Virginia
Wednesday, April 29
SWIM: What it Means to Become a Mountaineer
Wednesday, April 29
Gold-Blue Spring Festival Fan Recap
Sunday, April 19
John Neider | April 18
Saturday, April 18
