FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Arizona State Baseball will begin its quest for its sixth National Championship on February 18th when the Sun Devils host the New Mexico Lobos at Winkles Field- Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark in the 2011 Season Opener. Announced today by head coach Tim Esmay, the 2011 schedule features 33 games at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark.
The Sun Devils will play 34 games against teams that advanced to the 2010 NCAA Tournament, including Oklahoma and UCLA, who both advanced to the 2010 College World Series. ASU will host both the Sooners (March 15-16) and the Bruins (May 27-29) in Tempe.
The Devils will head to SEC-Country to face 2010 NCAA Tournament team Auburn at Plainsman Park from March 11 to 13. Arizona State will also travel to Cal State Fullerton for the second straight year for a two-game series with the Titans. The Devils and Titans will meet for the fourth consecutive regular season on March 22 and 23 at Goodwin Field in Fullerton.
The rest of the non-conference slate features two straight four-game series to open the 2011 season. 2010 NCAA Tournament participant New Mexico opens the year in Tempe from Feb. 18-20, followed by Delaware from Feb. 25-27. Perennial tournament team Oral Roberts, who played in the 2009 Tempe Regional, will come to Tempe for a three-game set from March 18-20, while Long Beach State, another perennial postseason team, will make its first visit to Tempe since 2006 from May 6 to 8. BYU will come to Tempe for the second straight year for a two-game series May 2 and 3.
The leader in West Coast attendance for the past six seasons, Arizona State will once again enjoy one of the nation’s best home field advantages. Almost 130,000 fans came to Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark to watch the Devils play in 2010, as ASU averaged 3,506 fans per home game. Thanks to tremendous fan support that creates an unmatched atmosphere at home, the Sun Devils went 36-3 at home, including sweeping the Tempe Super Regional over Arkansas to advance to Omaha and the College World Series.
For the ninth straight year, Arizona State will travel to Surprise, Ariz., for the Coca-Cola Classic at Surprise Stadium, Spring Training home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals. ASU will play in Surprise from March 3 to March 6, with the opponents to be announced.
In addition to an always difficult non-conference schedule, the defending Pac-10 Champion Sun Devils will once again compete in one of the toughest conferences in all of college baseball. Conference adversaries visiting Tempe include Arizona (March 25-27), Oregon (April 1-3), Washington State (15-17) and UCLA (May 27-29). Each Pac-10 team who visits Tempe in 2011 earned a berth in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
The Sun Devils will open the road portion of their Pac-10 schedule in Corvallis for a three-game set with the Oregon State Beavers (April 8-10). They also travel to Cal (April 21-23), USC (May 13-15) and Washington (May 20-22).
Arizona State Sun Devil baseball continues to be the best entertainment value in town, as ASU begins its quest for its sixth national championship. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 480-727-0000 or log on to TheSunDevils.com.
