With high expectations for the Broncs, The University of Texas-Pan American baseball program announced the 2010 schedule August 12 with 26 home games, which will be played at the Edinburg Baseball Stadium, versus 20 away occasions.
“The schedule is good because there are a lot of home games, and it’s also exciting because it’s our first season in the Great West (conference), so we get to play `conference weekends’ which haven’t been around the Valley in around 10 years,” said second-year head coach Manny Mantrana. “This year, I made the schedule and we brought in our first recruiting class, good students, good people, and very important -good players -so we’re very excited.”
The Broncs will inaugurate the season at home Feb. 26, when the Coach Al Ogletree Classic takes place, and will close the term hosting the Great West Conference Tournament May 25-28.
After the Al Ogletree Classic, tournament named after the 41-year coach who retired in 1997 and accumulated 1,217 victories, in which UT-Brownsville and Prairie View will participate, the program will travel to Austin for two games against the University of Texas March 2 and 3.
The Broncs stay home for two weeks (March 5-21) to receive Louisiana Tech three times, Notre Dame twice, and have double headers with Stephen F. Austin and the University of Iowa.
After four days of preparation, they hit the road to visit the Houston Baptist Huskies a couple of times, come back south for a game with TAMUCC in Corpus Christi, and then compete against the Centenary College three days in a row ending April 4 at Shreveport, La. before traveling to Nacogdoches for a double header against Stephen F. Austin.
The baseball program plays against Northern Colorado the weekend of April 9-11 in three Great West Conference games at home, to then have a one-day trip to Beaumont to confront Lamar University, followed by three home conference games with the University of North Dakota to then face TAMUCC once again at the Edinburg Baseball Stadium April 20.
Starting April 23, the Broncs have all conference games beginning with four-game series against NJIT at Newark, N.J, with the exception of one final game against TAMUCC at Corpus Christi, April 27.
Three days after TAMUCC, UTPA visits Orem, Utah, to have two games and a double header against Utah Valley University, return home for three back-to-back games against Houston Baptist May 7-9, and put an end to their away campaign encountering Chicago State University on four different occasions between May 14 and 16.
To conclude the season, the Broncs will welcome the New York University of Technology May 20-22 before having a perfect finale by hosting the Great West Conference Tournament.
