Senior Stephen Flora and his teammates will face a tough 2009 schedule- Courtesy: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Ten games at Whataburger Field plus the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament and a quick start to the Southland Conference season highlight the 56-game season announced by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi baseball head coach Scott Malone. Five opponents – Rice, Texas, TCU Alabama and defending Southland Conference Tournament champion Sam Houston State – appeared in the NCAA Regionals a season ago.
“We have tried to put together one of the more competitive mid-major schedules in the country,” said Malone. “If you want to be one of the best programs in the state of Texas – you have to play the best programs in the state. We are also trying to prepare our kids for conference play and the postseason tournament that we are hosting this May.”
The Islanders waste little time jumping full bore into the season. After opening the season with a four-game series against New Mexico in Albuquerque on Feb. 20-22, the Islanders return home for nine of their next 10 contests.
“We are excited about the opportunity to open our season at New Mexico in Isotope Park the Triple-A home of the Los Angeles Dodgers, said Malone. “Other road games at Rice, Texas, and TCU will give us an opportunity to play some of the best teams in college baseball.
“It is getting tougher each year to get the best programs to play us at home – but with Texas Tech and Alabama coming to Corpus Christi this year – our local fan base should be excited to see some great baseball.”
A non-conference game versus UTSA on Feb. 24 at Whataburger Field begins the stretch at home. Southland Conference play begins that Friday as Texas State visits Corpus Christi for a three-game series downtown. For the first time since the Islanders entered the league, all 12 league members will square off in league play for a 33-game schedule.
After a midweek doubleheader in Edinburg versus Texas-Pan American, the Islanders will face the SEC’s Alabama and the Broncs in the Whataburger College Classic.
Following the weekend break from Southland action for the Classic and another doubleheader with UTPA at Chapman Field, the Islanders make their first of two trips to Louisiana for a three-game set a Nicholls State March 13-15.
A&M-Corpus Christi returns to host Texas Tech of the Big 12 in a pair of midweek contests at Whataburger Field on March 17 and 18. McNeese State comes to that weekend for a three-game conference set before the Islanders travel to San Antonio the following week for three games at Roadrunner Field March 27-29. The Islanders stay out on the road the following a weekend with three games at Lamar the first weekend of April.
TAMUCC returns home to host Stephen F. Austin on Easter weekend before embarking on its longest road trip of the season with seven straight games away from the Coastal Bend.
A non-conference pair of games at perennial national power Texas in Austin on April 14 and 15 starts the trip. The Islanders then make their second strip of the season to Louisiana as they visit Southeastern in Hammond. The journey concludes with a pair of games at TCU in Fort Worth April 21 and 22.
A&M-Corpus Christi welcomes Central Arkansas to town the weekend of April 24-26, before midweek games at Rice and UTPA. The Islanders remain on the road heading to UT Arlington the first weekend in May.
The Islanders close out their regular-season home slate with five straight games at Chapman Field. On May 5, Houston Baptist visits for a doubleheader, with Northwestern State in town that weekend for a three-game SLC series. The regular season concludes with a road trip to Sam Houston State. The series begins on Thursday, May 14.
The top eight teams will converge on Whataburger Field May 20-23 for the Southland Conference tournament.
“The Southland Conference will be extremely competitive again this year. It should make for a great end of the year tournament at Whataburger Field. We can not wait to host the best the conference has to offer right here in our backyard,” concluded the coach.
Texas A&M Corpus Christi 2009 Schedule
