FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
STATESBORO, Ga. – On deck for the Georgia Southern Baseball team in 2011 are 18 games against teams that qualified for the 2010 NCAA Baseball Tournament. In the 2011 schedule that was announced today (September 22), the Eagles will face two new opponents and make a trip to Gainesville, Fla., to face the Gators for the first time since 1993. In total, 31 games will be contested at J.I. Clements Stadium beginning with the season-opener against George Washington on Friday, February 18 at 6 p.m.
“We are very excited about another competitive schedule in 2011,” said Head Coach Rodney Hennon. “The non-conference portion of our schedule will be very challenging and features some quality opponents that will present the opportunity for us to build a strong RPI [Rating Percentage Index]. As always, the Southern Conference will be a tough, balanced league returning seven programs that finished with top-75 RPIs last season.”
The Eagles play 14 of their first 16 contests at home. The season opener is part of a three-game series against George Washington, matching the Eagles against the Colonials for the first time since 2005. Following George Washington, the Eagles play the first of seven teams that qualified for the 2010 NCAA Regionals facing Georgia Tech, Feb. 22-23, with a return trip to face the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta, March 15-16.
The remaining seven opponents that qualified for the 2010 NCAA Tournament include: St. John’s, Florida, College of Charleston, The Citadel, Mercer and Elon.
North Carolina Central visits Statesboro Feb. 25-27 to close out the season-opening eight-game homestand.
The first road game of the season is a trip to North Florida on March 2 before the Eagles begin a three-game series against St. John’s, a team that narrowly missed an advancement into a super regional in 2010, falling to Virginia in game seven of the Charlottesville Regional.
On March 8, the Eagles make the trip to Gainesville, Fla., to face the Florida Gators for the first time since 1993. Florida capped the 2010 season with a 47-17 record after reaching the College World Series for the sixth time in program history.
Mid-week home-and-homes are scheduled with North Florida (March 2 and Apr. 13), Kennesaw State (March 22 and Apr. 27), Jacksonville (March 29 and Apr. 12) and Charleston Southern (May 4 and May 17). The first games of the Kennesaw State and Charleston Southern series will be played at J.I. Clements Stadium with the second on the road. The North Florida and Jacksonville matchups are reversed, with the first game on the road and the second in Statesboro.
Mercer makes a mid-week visit to Statesboro on April 6 before Georgia Southern heads to Marshall for the lone three-game non-conference series on the road, April 8-10.
Five Southern Conference teams will play at J.I. Clements Stadium in 2011, beginning with Furman March 11-13. The Citadel (April 1-3) and Elon (April 22-24) visit in April with May dates scheduled against Wofford (May 6-8) and Davidson (May 13 (DH) and May 16).
In road conference action, the Eagles will play at Samford (March 18-20), College of Charleston (March 25-27), Western Carolina (Apr. 15-17), UNC Greensboro (Apr. 29-May 1) and close out the regular season at Appalachian State (May 19-21).
The 2011 Southern Conference Tournament returns to Charleston, S.C., May 25-29 and the 2011 NCAA Regionals begin June 3.
