FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Highlighted by 33 home games, a third straight appearance in the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge and 14 games against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season, the Louisville baseball team released its 2012 schedule on Friday afternoon.
Additionally, the Cardinals will host West Coast Conference foe Pepperdine for a three-game series, Southeastern Conference opponent Ole Miss for a two-game set and five BIG EAST Conference series. Louisville will also travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to play in the Alabama Tournament hosted by the Crimson Tide while also playing home-and-home midweek games against regional rivals Kentucky, Indiana and Western Kentucky.
U of L will open the 2012 season at the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge, where they will face Minnesota (Feb. 17, Clearwater, Fla.), Illinois (Feb. 18, St. Petersburg, Fla.), an NCAA Regional squad in 2011, and Michigan State (Feb. 19, St. Petersburg, Fla.). Last season, the Cards were 3-0 and improved to 6-0 all-time in the event, which is hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Sports Commission.
Louisville will open its home schedule and a nine-game homestand at Jim Patterson Stadium with a mid-week game against Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday, Feb. 22. That will be followed by a weekend series against Oakland University on Feb. 24-26, a mid-week game against Eastern Illinois on Feb. 28, a weekend series against Pepperdine on March 2-4 and will conclude with a mid-week game against Indiana on March 6.
The Cardinals will then travel to Tuscaloosa for the Alabama Tournament at Sewell-Thomas Stadium, where they will play three games against three different NCAA Regional squads from last season. Louisville will open the weekend against Oral Roberts on March 9 before playing host Alabama on March 10 in a Saturday night showdown. The Cards will close the weekend against East Carolina on March 11.
The tourney at Alabama will be followed by another nine-game homestand for the Cardinals, which will begin with mid-week games against Ole Miss on March 13-14. That will be followed by a weekend series against Ball State on March 16-18, a mid-week game against Ohio State on March 20 and will conclude with the opening weekend of BIG EAST Conference action against long-time rival Cincinnati on March 23-25.
After a mid-week road game at Purdue on March 27, Louisville will return to Jim Patterson Stadium for a BIG EAST weekend series against Villanova on March 30-April 1 and a mid-week game against Western Kentucky on April 3. That will be followed by a road series at BIG EAST foe Georgetown on April 5-7 and a mid-week game at rival Kentucky on April 10.
The Cardinals will then return home to host Seton Hall, an NCAA Regional team in 2011, on April 13-15. Another four-game road swing will follow with a mid-week game at Indiana on April 17 and a weekend conference series at USF on April 20-22.
Louisville will then host Kentucky on April 24 at Jim Patterson Stadium before welcoming reigning BIG EAST champion Connecticut, which also advanced to an NCAA Super Regional last season, on April 27-29. The month of May will begin for the Cardinals with a mid-week game at Western Kentucky on May 1 and a conference road series at West Virginia on May 5-6. That five-game road stretch will conclude with a mid-week game on May 8 at Vanderbilt, which made its first College World Series appearance in 2011.
Louisville will complete its home slate with a three-game series against BIG EAST foe St. John’s, an NCAA Regional club last season, on May 11-13 and a mid-week game against Morehead State on May 15. The Cardinals will close the regular season on the road with a three-game series at Pittsburgh on May 17-19.
The 2012 BIG EAST Championship is set for May 23-27 at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla., where the Cardinals have won two tournament titles and have an 17-6 record overall. The 2011 NCAA Championship is set to begin on June 1 with regional play.
Live audio and/or video coverage for all 56 regular season games and all post-season games for the Cardinals in 2012 will be available to subscribers through CardsTV at UofLsports.com. All radio and television arrangements for the 2012 Louisville baseball season are still being finalized and will be announced at a later date.
2012 Louisville Baseball Schedule (PDF)
