FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A game at defending national champion South Carolina plus 10 games at McCormick Field highlights the 2011 UNC Asheville baseball schedule that was released today by second-year Bulldog coach Tom Smith.
The 53-game schedule features 18 home games, including eight games on Asheville’s home campus of Greenwood Field plus the 10 dates at McCormick Field. The Bulldogs will open the 2011 season at Greenwood Field when they welcome Murray State for a three-game series (Feb. 18-20).
“We believed we have elevated our schedule this season,” stated Smith. “I believe we’ll be a better team this season and therefore we need to play a little tougher schedule.
“We’re excited about playing at South Carolina, and we have a date at UNC Chapel Hill, as well,” added Smith.
“And we can’t thank the City of Asheville and the Asheville Tourists enough for allowing us to play some of our home games at McCormick Field,” Smith also said.
The Bulldogs play their first road game at UNC Greensboro (Feb. 22) before playing a two-game series at Campbell (Feb. 25-26). Asheville returns home to face ETSU (March 2) at Greenwood Field.
Smith’s club then plays their next 15 games away from home. The Dogs have three-game series’ at Charlotte (March 4-6) and Eastern Kentucky (March 11-12) with a two-game set vs. Georgia State (March 8-9) in between.
Asheville plays the first of two games with mountain rival Western Carolina (March 16) in Cullowhee. The Bulldogs open Big South Conference play on the road at Gardner-Webb (March 18-20). Asheville finishes the long road trip with single games at Appalachian State (March 22) and North Carolina Central (March 23).
When Asheville finally gets home, the Bulldogs face defending Big South Conference champion and Super Regional finalist Coastal Carolina waiting (March 25-27) at Greenwood Field.
Asheville makes its McCormick Field debut on April 4 when the Bulldogs take on the Asheville Tourists in an exhibition game. The Dogs first regular-season game at McCormick Field will be with Western Carolina on April 12.
The Bulldogs will play Big South Conference series’ at McCormick Field vs. High Point (April 15-17) and Presbyterian College (May 19-21). In addition, Asheville will play Radford at McCormick on April 22 before finishing the series with a double-header at Greenwood Field the next day (April 23).
Asheville plays at UNC Chapel Hill on May 11 and takes on national champion South Carolina in Columbia on May 17.
The Bulldogs finished 2010 with a 17-25 overall record and went 10-18 in Big South Conference play with a seventh-place finish.
