Courtesy: Jim Daves/UVa Media Relations Tyler Cannon
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Virginia baseball today announced its schedule for the 2009 season, including 39 home games at Davenport Field. The slate will be challenging once again. Fourteen of the Cavaliers’ opponents won at least 30 games last season, while three (Florida State, Miami, North Carolina) advanced to the College World Series and two (Coastal Carolina, North Carolina State) reached the NCAA Super Regionals.
“The 2009 schedule will be another challenging one for our team,” Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor said. “The ACC was the number one league in the country again last season and will be strong once again. There are no breaks and every opponent is tough. This gives Cavalier fans a great opportunity to watch the best baseball in the country.
Virginia begins its 56-game schedule at home Feb. 20-22 with a four-game series against Bucknell. The Bison are the first of eight opponents on the UVa schedule that competed in the NCAA tournament last season.
The Cavaliers face a stout test immediately in ACC play. Virginia’s 30-game conference slate opens March 6-8 at Wake Forest in the Cavaliers’ first road contests of the season. The series marks the only time UVa plays on the road in its first 26 games.
Virginia returns home for the first of three straight ACC weekends against 2008 College World Series participants. The Cavaliers play host to Florida State (March 13-15) and Miami (March 20-22) before traveling to North Carolina (March 27-29). Virginia saw all three of these teams in the 2008 ACC Baseball Championship, defeating North Carolina and Florida State before falling to the Hurricanes in the championship game. The Seminoles’ trip to Charlottesville will be their first since the 2004 season.
UVa also has home ACC series with Maryland (April 3-5), 2008 Super Regional participant NC State (April 24-26) and Duke (May 8-10). The Cavaliers’ other road ACC road series are at 2008 NCAA Tournament participant Georgia Tech (April 10-12), Boston College (April 17-19) and Virginia Tech (May 14-16). For the second straight year, Virginia will not play Clemson in the regular season.
In non-conference play, Virginia will be tested early with its season-opening four-game series against Bucknell, which advanced to the NCAA tournament last year and scored a 7-0 win in the opener against No. 4 national seed Florida State in Tallahassee.
UVa hits the road March 31 to play Radford. The game will be played in Salem, Va., at Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium, home of the Salem Avalanche, the Class-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The Highlanders play the back end of the two-game series April 15 in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers also will play a home-and-home with VCU, traveling to The Diamond in Richmond April 21 before the Rams visit Davenport Field May 12.
Virginia is scheduled to play host to Conference USA tournament runner-up Marshall (March 17), MAAC regular-season champion Canisius (March 18), NCAA participant Stony Brook (April 7) and NCAA Super Regional participant Coastal Carolina (April 14).
Other non-league opponents include William and Mary (Feb. 24), Fordham (Feb. 27, 28), Delaware (Feb. 28, March 1), VMI (March 3), George Washington (March 4), Navy (March 10-11), Towson (March 24-25), Norfolk State (April 1), Georgetown (April 22) and Liberty (April 28).
The 2009 ACC Baseball Tournament will be held May 20-24 at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C. The stadium is home to the Tampa Bay Rays’ Triple-A affiliate. It marks the sixth time the championship has been contested in Durham and the fourth time at DBAP. Virginia won the 1996 ACC Championship in Durham.
General admission season tickets for the 2009 season will go on sale on Nov. 3. General admission season tickets are available for grandstand seating as well as seating on the grassy hillside and the left-field bleachers. Prices for general admission season tickets are $100 for adults and $75 for youth (18 and under), seniors (60 and over), faculty and staff. Fans may purchase tickets online at VirginiaSports.com or by calling the UVa Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 542-8821. Fans may also order in person at the Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
2008 season ticket holders will receive an application to renew their order for the 2009 season in early November. The priority deadline for season ticket renewal is December 5.
A 10-game ‘Pick ‘Em’ Mini Pack also is available and will go on sale Nov. 3. Fans can purchase general admission seating for any 10 games of their choice for just $40 per seat. Single-game tickets will go on sale in early February.
As in previous years, the Ticket Office will accept reserved season ticket wait list requests. Should reserved seats not be renewed, ticket holders from this wait list will be contacted in Virginia Athletics Foundation priority point order with the opportunity to purchase these seats.
