FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina University baseball program and Head Coach Gary Gilmore announced its 2009 schedule today (Dec. 8), which includes nine games against 2008 NCAA Tournament teams, nine games against teams from the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern Conferences and an expanded Big South Conference schedule.
Coastal Carolina opens the 2009 schedule at the Caravelle Resort Tournament Feb. 20-22. The Chanticleers face Southern Illinois Friday at 4 p.m., and Kentucky Saturday Feb. 21 at 3:30 p.m. Coastal Carolina will face Kentucky at 12 p.m., and James Madison at 3:30 p.m., in the final day of the tournament.
The Chanticleers then will head to the remodeled Boshamer Stadium Tuesday, Feb. 24 to face North Carolina in a rematch of the 2008 Cary Super Regional. The Chants then return to the beach for the Baseball at the Beach Tournament at BB&T Coastal Field in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Coastal Carolina will face West Virginia, FIU and Tennessee in the tournament at the home of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
A home game against The Citadel Wednesday, March 4 is followed by the second Caravelle Resort Tournament March 6-8 at Watson Stadium/Vrooman Field. Coastal Carolina welcomes Albany, IPFW, Creighton and Stony Brook for four games. The Chants host Creighton and the College of Charleston the next midweek before going on an 11-game road trip which includes the start of Big South Conference play.
The Chants travel to Asheville, N.C., March 13-14 for a three-game series at UNC Asheville to open conference play. Coastal Carolina then travels to Knoxville, Tenn., for a midweek game against Tennessee before traveling to Rock Hill, S.C., for a three-game series at Winthrop March 20-22.
The Chants then make their second-ever trip to Hawai’i to play the University of Hawai’i March 26-28. Thursday and Saturday’s game are single games beginning at 6:35 p.m., and 1 p.m. HST, respectively. Friday’s game is at doubleheader beginning at 3:30 p.m., HST.
Coastal Carolina returns to the mainland for two games against UNC Wilmington. Coastal Carolina will host the Seahawks Tuesday, March 31 at 6 p.m., and then head to Wilmington, N.C., Wednesday, April 1 at 6 p.m. Coastal Carolina will then host Gardner-Webb, a new member to the Big South, April 3-5. Gardner-Webb and Presbyterian are new to the League, expanding the Big South schedule to 27 games.
On Easter Weekend, the Chants host Radford in a pair of 12 p.m. tilts on April 10-11. Saturday’s game is a doubleheader at Watson Stadium/Vrooman Field. Coastal Carolina will then travel to Virginia Tuesday, April 14 before heading to High Point for a three-game series April 17-19.
The Chants head to another ACC foe, Clemson, Tuesday, April 21 at 6:30 p.m. The next day, Coastal Carolina hosts the College of Charleston for the second time in Watson Stadium/Vrooman Field. The Chants then are at Presbyterian April 24-26 in Clinton, S.C.
Coastal Carolina’s last away game will be at the College of Charleston April 28. The Chants then play their final 10 games at home, starting with a midweek game against Wake Forest April 29. Coastal Carolina has three Big South series to end the regular season, starting with a three-game set against Big South Tournament finalist Liberty May 1-3. The Chants face VMI Saturday-Monday May 9-11 and Charleston Southern Thursday-Saturday May 14-16.
The Big South Tournament will be held at McCormick Field in Asheville, N.C., Thursday-Saturday May 19-23.
“I think that the schedule is going to be a tremendous challenge,” Gilmore said. “The tournaments at the beginning of the year are very, very competitive. We have some new faces in it with Kentucky, Southern Illinois, FIU and Tennessee makes a return trip to Baseball at the Beach. Our midweek games are so difficult again with UNC Wilmington, College of Charleston, Virginia, North Carolina, Clemson and Wake Forest. We have a very big challenge. Obviously, the highlight of the schedule for our kids is the six-day trip to Hawai’i to play those guys. It will be a great life experience for our guys as well. I think our schedule is a great challenge. I believe RPI-wise, if we can hold our own with this schedule, we’ll be right in the hunt. It’s just all up to us to be competitive again.”
The Chanticleers return six starters and nine pitchers from last year’s 50-14 team that advanced to the Super Regionals for the first time in school history.
