FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – First year head coach Jim Duffy released the 2012 schedule for the Manhattan baseball team on Thursday. The out-of-conference slate includes matchups with powerhouse teams from the Big East, ACC, Mountain West, Sun Belt, and Big South along with the difficult MAAC contests for the defending conference champions. Manhattan will open up the season Feb. 24-26 with a four game series at Florida Atlantic.
The pursuit of back-to-back conference titles will begin in Boca Raton, Fla. as Sun Belt contender Florida Atlantic hosts the Jaspers (Feb. 24-26). It is the start of 16 straight road games to open up the season. Manhattan will then travel to College Park, Md. to meet with perennial ACC power Maryland (March 2-4) before a weekday matinee with Seton Hall in South Orange, NJ (March 7). From there, the Jaspers travel back south to play the High Point Panthers of the Big South Conference March 9-11 in High Point, N.C. before concluding their long road stretch in Morgantown, W. Va. with Big East power West Virginia (March 16-18).
The home slate begins on March 21 when the Jaspers play Hofstra at Van Cortlandt Park. It is the second straight year Manhattan opens at home with the Pride and will be the last game before entering conference play at Marist (March 24 & 25).
The Jaspers will then travel to Teaneck, N.J. to face Fairleigh Dickinson (March 27) before a four game home stand against Long Island (March 28) and MAAC rival Iona (March 31 & April 1). On April 4, Manhattan visits West Point, N.Y. to square off with Army in a mid-week game and will then return to Van Cortlandt Park against Niagara (April 6 & 7), Sacred Heart (April 10) and the annual meeting with Fordham on April 11.
Manhattan visits two 2011 MAAC Tournament qualifiers when they visit Rider (April 14 & 15) along with Canisius (April 21 & 22) as they play two series sandwiched around a home game with local rival Columbia (April 18). The Jaspers will host another Metro-area opponent when the New York Institute of Technology (April 24) before going on another lengthy road swing.
The month of April concludes with trips to Albany (April 25), and a four game series in Fort Worth, Texas against TCU (April 27-29) before taking on cross-Bronx rival Fordham at Houlihan Park (May 1). The final road trip of the regular season is against MAAC opponent Fairfield (May 5 & 6) prior to a six game home stand to conclude the season.
Van Cortlandt Park will host Saint Peter’s (May 12 & 13) and conference tournament runner-up Siena (May 17 & 18) in the final two series of the regular season.
The MAAC Tournament will be held at Joe Bruno Field on the campus of Siena in Troy, NY with the top four schools qualifying to participate.
