FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Hempstead, NY – First-year Hofstra University Head Baseball Coach Patrick Anderson today announced the 2009 Pride schedule, which features games against six teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament last year including College World Series qualifier Florida State. The out of conference portion of the slate is challenging as the Pride’s non-CAA opponents compiled a 403-306-4 record for a .568 winning percentage.
The Pride will open the campaign against two of those tournament qualifiers, starting the year with a four-game set at Florida State, which went 0-2 at the CWS last June, before heading to North Carolina State for a three-game set. Hofstra will also take on NCAA participants Rider, St. John’s, Stony Brook and defending Colonial Athletic Association champion UNC Wilmington.
Hofstra’s home opener is scheduled for Saturday, March 7 with a doubleheader against Dartmouth, the first of back-to-back doubleheaders against the Big Green. The Pride will then host Fordham (March 10) and Rider (March 11) before opening CAA play at UNC Wilmington on March 13 to 15.
Hofstra’s longest home stand stretches from March 18 to 31, when the Pride host 10 games, starting with a regional-rival matchup against St. John’s. Vermont will travel to Hempstead from March 21 to 22 for a pair of doubleheaders before the Pride play Siena and host CAA-foe Northeastern in a three-game set. Manhattan visits for a single-same matchup to round out the stretch.
Hofstra will be at home for seven of the last 10 regular season contests of 2009. After a three-game series against Towson, the Pride will welcome Long Island University on May 5 before heading on the road to Norfolk State (May 9-10) for a late non-conference three-game series. Hofstra closes out the regular and conference season by hosting William & Mary in a three-game series.
The CAA slate will be challenging as well as six of the eight teams Hofstra will face posted at least 25 wins a year ago, with five teams posting 30 or more victories led by UNC Wilmington’s 44 wins in 2008. The CAA Championship will take place in Wilmington, NC, from May 20-23 with the top six teams qualifying.
Hofstra is coming off a 19-win season in 2008 and returns 19 players including junior third baseman Matt Prokopowicz, who led the team with a .312 average, eight home runs and 39 RBIs.
