FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
ROCK HILL, SC – Second-year Winthrop head baseball coach Tom Riginos has announced a 56-game regular season schedule for the 2012 campaign, and includes a total of 29 games to be played at The Winthrop Ballpark.
The Eagles will face 10 programs that participated in the NCAA Tournament last season including Georgia Tech, Kent State, Georgia, Oregon State, Arizona State, Charlotte, Clemson, College of Charleston, North Carolina and Coastal Carolina. The Tar Heels advanced to the NCAA College World Series in 2011, while the Sun Devils and Beavers made it to the NCAA Super Regionals.
“I am extremely excited about the 2012 baseball schedule,” said Riginos. “The schedule will challenge our team as we work toward our goal to win the Big South Conference championship, and to participate in the NCAA Tournament.”
Winthrop will kick off its 2012 campaign with five consecutive home games against Georgia Tech, Kent State and Western Carolina. The Yellow Jackets and Golden Flashes, along with the Eagles, make up the three-team Coca-Cola Classic field to be held Feb. 17-19. The contest with the Catamounts (Feb. 21) will be the first midweek contest of the season for Winthrop. The month of February for the Eagles concludes with a three-game road series at Georgia (Feb. 24-26) and a home midweek showdown against Charlotte (Feb. 28).
A trip out to Surprise, AZ for the Coca-Cola Classic (Mar. 1-4) highlights Winthrop’s beginning of the month of March. The tournament will be played at Surprise Stadium, the spring training home of the American League’s Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers. The Eagles will face Northwestern (Mar. 1), Oregon State (Mar. 2), Arizona State (Mar. 3) and St. Louis (Mar. 4) during the Coca-Cola Classic.
Winthrop returns to The Winthrop Ballpark for eight of its next 11 games, including a three-game series each with Holy Cross (Mar. 9-11) and Rider (Mar. 16-18), while also hosting College of Charleston (Mar. 7) and Valparaiso (Mar. 12) in midweek games. The three road games are at The Citadel (Mar. 14), Wake Forest (Mar. 20) and Charlotte (Mar. 21).
The Eagles welcome Big South newcomer Campbell to Rock Hill for the conference opener Mar. 23-24 before wrapping up the month at home with Furman (Mar. 28) and their first conference road series at Gardner-Webb (Mar. 30-Apr. 1).
The month of April consists of six road contests and eight home games. The six games on the road are at Clemson (Apr. 3), VMI (Apr. 6-7), College of Charleston (Apr. 10) and Furman (Apr. 18). Winthrop entertains Liberty (Apr. 13-15), The Citadel (Apr. 17), Radford (Apr. 20-22) and Wake Forest (Apr. 24) at home in April.
The Eagles play just three home games in May, which come in the 2012 season finale with High Point (May 17-19). The remaining contests for the month comprise of road matchups with North Carolina (May 2), Charleston Southern (May 4-6), Coastal Carolina (May 11-13) and Western Carolina (May 15).
The 2012 Big South Conference Baseball Tournament will be hosted by High Point University for the first time in its program’s history, and played at Coy O. Williard Stadium.
