FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois head baseball coach Mike Villano announced the 2011 baseball schedule, Thursday, Nov. 18.
The Fighting Leathernecks will face four opponents who participated in the 2010 NCAA Baseball Tournament. They include Kansas State, which finished third in the Big XII a season ago, Atlantic 10 champion Saint Louis University, Summit League opponent Oral Roberts and Illinois State University.
The 2011 campaign begins with a three-game series with Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. (Feb. 18-21). From there the Leathernecks travel to Decatur, Ga. for a four-game tilt with Georgia State University (Feb. 25-27) before traveling to Manhattan, Kan. to face Big XII member Kansas State University (March 4-6).
Western will spend spring break in Terre Haute, Ind. where they will the Sycamores of Indiana State (March 11-13). The leathernecks will face the Broncos of Western Michigan in between those two games in Terre Haute.
Coach Villano’s squad will stay on the road as they will play Northern Illinois and 2010 NCAA Tournament participant Saint Louis University in a doubleheader (March 15). Western will travel to Springfield, Mo. to play three games against Missouri State University (March 17-19). The team will then open up a three-game series with the Hawkeyes of the University of Iowa (March 25-27). The first two games of that series will be played in Iowa City and then the Leathernecks will play host as the Hawkeyes come to Macomb for the third game of the series to open up the home slate for Western.
Western will be back on the road to travel to Peoria, Ill. to face the Braves of Bradley University in a three-game tilt (April 1-3). The Leathernecks will stop in Charleston, Ill. quickly to play one game against Eastern Illinois University before starting League play.
Western Illinois will get a lot of home-cooking as they begin a nine-game home stand. The Summit League season starts at home for Western as they host the Summit League regular season champion South Dakota State University for four games (April 8-10). The Braves and Leathernecks will revisit their series as Bradley University visits for one game (April 13). The home stand continues as Summit League Tournament Champion Oral Roberts comes to town for a four game series (April 15-17).
Western will then travel to the Quad Cities to face the Hawkeyes of the University of Iowa for a fourth and final time (April 19). The Leathernecks continue their way through April as they travel to Rochester, Mich. for a four-game series with Oakland University. Western will then fly out to Cedar City, Utah to face the Thunderbirds of Southern Utah (April 28-30).
The Leathernecks will open May on the road with a four-game tilt with IPFW (May 6-7). Western returns home after the twelve game road trip to host Centenary College for four games (May 13-15). Missouri Valley Champion and NCAA Tournament participant, Illinois State, will stop in Macomb for one game (May 17) and that will signal the close of the home schedule for the Leathernecks.
Western concludes the 2011 regular season campaign with with a trip to Fargo, N.D. to face North Dakota State University in a four-game series (May 19-21).
The top-four teams will advance to the post-season tournament.
