FROM PRESS RELEASE
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The 2008 UAB baseball schedule was released Thursday by Blazer head coach Brian Shoop. The Blazers again will play a formidable schedule in 2008 as they square off with seven teams that competed in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Opening day will be on Feb. 22 when Ball State comes to Young Memorial Field to mark the fourth straight year UAB will open with a Mid-American Conference team.
“We once again will play a very demanding schedule this season,” Shoop said. “This schedule will challenge our young team and help us continue to develop into a competitive Conference USA team.”
An early season trip to Hawaii headlines the team’s non-conference schedule as the Blazers will play three games at Hawaii-Hilo Mar. 8-9, before traveling to Honolulu for a two-game set at Hawaii Mar. 11-12.
“One of the highlights of the schedule of course is our spring break trip to Hawaii,” Shoop said. “We scheduled this as an important part of our recruiting efforts last year and it will be a trip to remember for our players and their families.”
UAB will play 31 of its 56 games at home, including home games with in-state foes Alabama, Alabama A&M, Jacksonville State, Samford and Troy.
“We are excited about our home schedule for our fans and for the Birmingham baseball community at large,” Shoop said. “We will host Ball State out of the MAC on opening weekend and Brown, the Ivy League champion, on our second weekend. We are excited that Mississippi State will return to our campus fresh off their trip to Omaha last spring and we are pleased to continue our rivalry with Alabama at Regions Park. The people of Birmingham can truly see some fantastic college baseball without leaving town.”
The Blazers open Conference USA play at Memphis Mar. 21-23 before coming home to host Tulane Mar. 28-30. The league schedule won’t let up any for the Blazers in April as the team travels to play Rice (Apr. 11-13) before hosting Houston (Apr. 18-20.)
The team will close out the regular season at home against Southern Miss May 15-17.
The Conference USA Championship will be held inside Turchin Stadium on the campus of Tulane in New Orleans, La. May 21-25.
“Conference USA promises to be strong again and will again be our primary focus – to become a competitive team in one of the top baseball conferences in America,” Shoop said.
