FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Bronx, N.Y. – Fordham baseball head coach Nick Restaino announced the team’s 2009 schedule today, as the Rams celebrate the 150th anniversary of the very first Fordham baseball team, which started play in 1859.
Except for 1944, the Fordham baseball program has played every year since 1859 and stands as the winningest program in NCAA history. The Rams, then known as the “Rose Hills”, started play on November 3, 1859, against St. Francis Xavier, in the first known collegiate baseball game to use nine players. In this anniversary season, the Rams will be competing for their fourth Atlantic 10 Championship tournament berth in the last six years.
Fordham is scheduled to have 23 home games this season, which includes five Atlantic 10 weekend series at Houlihan Park, as well as a special anniversary contest on April 7th.
On April 7th, Fordham will host Williams College at Houlihan Park in a special match-up. Like Fordham, Williams College is also celebrating its 150th anniversary of baseball this season, setting up a unique midseason game. Despite both teams being 150 years old, the two teams have only been scheduled to meet twice. The first was on March 27, 1894 at Williams, while the other game was on May 6, 1933 at Fordham.
Fordham will open the season at Florida Atlantic for a three-game series, February 20-22, followed by four games in Charlottesville, Virginia, February 27-28. In Charlottesville, Fordham will have two games against Virginia and two versus Delaware.
The Rams will then have their home opener on March 3rd, as they host cross town rival Manhattan College at Houlihan Park.
Fordham returns to the road for a four-game series at VCU, March 6-8, before a home game against New York Tech on March 11th. The Rams then begin a seven-game stretch in the Carolinas, where they have a four-game series with Wofford (March 13-15), a single game against Liberty (March 18), and a three-game conference series at Charlotte (March 20-22).
The Rams’ first home conference series will take place March 27-29, as they host Massachusetts. Fordham will also host Atlantic 10 opponents Saint Joseph’s (April 3-5), Dayton (April 24-26), Richmond (May 8-10) and Temple (May 14-16) at Houlihan Park.
In addition to Charlotte, Fordham will play road Atlantic 10 series at Duquesne (April 10-12), Xavier (April 17-19), and Rhode Island (May 1-3).
The schedule then turns toward the Atlantic 10 Championship tournament, which will be held May 20-23 at Fifth Third Field in Dayton, Ohio.
In non-league play, Fordham will renew rivalries with Stony Brook, Fairfield, Rutgers, Columbia, Iona, and Sacred Heart. The Rams will also welcome back to schedule a longtime traditional game against St. John’s on April 22nd. It will be the first game between Fordham and St. John’s since 2002.
