FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
AKRON, Ohio – A three-game series against the Trojans of Southern Cal, and games against three 2011 NCAA Tournament teams highlight the 2012 University of Akron baseball schedule, which was announced Monday by coach Rick Rembielak.
The Zips will also play Southern Conference clubs Elon and Appalachian State to open the year; and face West Virginia and Pittsburgh a combined eight times over the course of the season.
Our schedule will test us immediately and will give us a good idea of how well we prepared over the winter,” Rembielak said. “We accomplished quite a bit during fall practice and have a plan for what we will work on with each player over the winter.”
Akron opens the season by playing two games each against Southern Conference members Elon and Appalachian State, Feb. 17-19. All four games will be played at Elon’s Latham Park. Both the Phoenix and the Mountaineers won 30-plus games last season. The Zips have never met either school on the diamond.
Akron will then fly to the west coast for a three-game set with USC, Feb. 24-26. The series will be the first ever match-up between Akron and a team from the PAC-12.
UA travels to Clarksville, Tenn. for a four-team tournament at Austin Peay during the first weekend in March. The Zips will play Iowa, Youngstown State and the host Governors – who won the Ohio Valley Conference last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament – during the weekend.
Akron will spend its spring break at three different sites in Florida, playing nine games in 10 days. The Zips will begin the week by playing Xavier, Pittsburgh, and Seton Hall in Port Charlotte, March 9-11. UA then travels to Jacksonville to play a pair of games against Jacksonville University – who was an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament in 2011. The Zips will also play Fairfield University while in Jacksonville. Three games in Winter Haven as a part of the RussMatt Invitational finish off the week. Those opponents will be announced at a later date.
Akron opens Mid-American Conference play at Lee R. Jackson Baseball Field against Ball St. March 23-25. The Zips will take on three other MAC foes – Bowling Green, Central Michigan, and Ohio – in home series during the season.
The Zips will travel to conference opponents Northern Illinois, Buffalo, Western Michigan, and Miami.
UA will also travel to defending MAC Champions Kent State for the final regular season series of the campaign. The first game of the set will be the annual Diamond Classic for the Kids at Canal Park – benefitting the Akron Children’s Hospital – on Thursday May 17.
The Zips’ midweek schedule includes multiple games with West Virginia (4), Pittsburgh (3), and Youngstown State (3). The Zips will also face Ohio State and Canisius in midweek contests.
The 2012 Mid-American Conference Tournament will be played May 23-26 at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon – the home of the Lake Erie Crushers.
