FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
Premier contests against five clubs that advanced to the 2010 NCAA Tournament, 35 home games and the first-ever University of Memphis Classic highlight Tiger baseball’s 56-game, 2011 campaign, seventh-year skipper Daron Schoenrock announced today.
“”This is by far the most challenging schedule we have had in my seven years at Memphis,” said Schoenrock. “The normal C-USA challenges await us on the weekends, but this schedule has the midweek challenges that can elevate RPI and create an attractive strength of schedule component when the NCAA selection process unfolds.”
The Tiger’s potent 2011 schedule features 29 matchups against 12 teams that clipped 30 wins a year ago and seven tilts versus 40-win programs, Arkansas, Auburn and Rice. Memphis will play 13 games against 2010 NCAA Tournament qualifiers; seven of which will be played at home. The Tigers will play 32 games at FedExPark and three at AutoZone Park.
For the second consecutive season, Memphis will open at FedExPark. The Tigers will host the Evansville Aces in a three-game set, Feb. 18-20. An experienced club, Memphis will be tested early when they make the trip to Oxford, Miss., to take on Ole Miss on Feb. 22.
Memphis will play its lone road non-league series at Kennesaw State (Feb. 25-27), before hosting the first-ever University of Memphis Classic. The Tigers will host 2010 Summit League Champs and NCAA Regional participant Oral Roberts (March 4), Eastern Kentucky (March 5) and Southern Illinois (March 6) in the four-team field.
Two-game midweek sets with 2010 SEC West Champions and Regional qualifier Auburn Tigers and Fayetteville Regional champs Arkansas sandwich a six-game home stand in which the Tigers will host St. Peters, UT Martin and Eastern Illinois. Memphis will take on Auburn in one of the season’s toughest road tests on March 8-9. The Tigers and Razorbacks will square off at Dickey-Stephens Park in Little Rock, Ark., on March 22, before heading back to Memphis for a March 23 meeting with the Hogs at AutoZone Park.
Other marquee non-conference games include an April 5 clash versus Ole Miss and a battle against Mississippi State on May 17. Both games will be played at AutoZone Park. The Tigers will play Arkansas State in a home-and-home series on April 12-13.
Memphis will open Conference USA action on March 25-27, with a three-game weekend at East Carolina in Greenville, N.C. Of the Tiger’s eight league weekends, four will be played at home. The U of M will host C-USA Tournament champions Southern Miss (April 8-10), UCF (April 22-23), Marshall (April 29-May 1) and Houston (May 19-21). Memphis will make the short trip to UAB, April 15-17. The Tigers will play at Tulane (May 6-8) and at 2010 C-USA Regular season champs, Rice (May 13-15) in consecutive weekends. The C-USA Tournament has been set for May 25-29 at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss.
“Our players are excited to meet these challenges head on!” Schoenrock stated. “With the Season Ticket Package now including the three games at AutoZone Park against Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Mississippi State, our season ticket has become one of the best values in college baseball. We also are now playing more home games at FedExPark than ever before.”
