FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
DAVIS, Calif. – The 2012 baseball schedule, which features games against seven teams who advanced to the NCAA Division I Championship, has been announced by UC Davis head coach Matt Vaughn.
“When you can look at a schedule and see teams that played in the regionals and super regionals in your schedule, it adds excitement,” said Vaughn. “Getting the chance to play teams of this caliber shows that UC Davis baseball is headed in the right direction, and serves to prepare us for the Big West schedule.”
Season tickets are on sale now for prices as low as $75 for seniors (65+) and California Aggie Alumni Association members. Chairback season tickets are also available for $100. Contact the UC Davis Ticket Office in Freeborn Hall at 530-752-1915 to purchase season tickets.
UC Davis opens the season on Feb. 17 with a four-game home series against Utah, which returns to Dobbins Stadium for the first time since the 2010 season. The Utes were one game shy of reaching the Mountain West Conference Tournament championship game in 2011, finishing the season at 29-21 overall and 16-7 in conference play.
The Aggies then take to the road for five straight games, beginning with a single midweek matchup with San Jose State, followed by a key road series at CSU Bakersfield. The Roadrunners, in only their third season of play, finished 33-22 in 2011 against such teams as two-time national champion South Carolina, Fresno State and UCLA. CSU Bakersfield will join the Western Athletic Conference as an affiliate member beginning in 2013.
The nonconference schedule is also highlighted by a home series against Creighton Mar. 2-4, the first-ever meeting between the Bluejays and the Aggies. Creighton advanced to the Corvallis Regional of last year’s NCAA Baseball Championship with an overall record of 45-16 and return 19 players from last season, including seven starters.
Another first for UC Davis will be a road trip to Tucson for two games at Arizona Mar. 6-7. Last year, The Wildcats made their second straight regional appearance as the No. 2 seed at the College Station Regional. Not only will the Aggies and Wildcats face off for the first time in both programs’ history, but the 2012 season also marks the official opening of Hi Corbett Field, the new home of Arizona baseball.
Once UC Davis returns from Tucson, the Aggies will play eight of 10 games at Dobbins Stadium, beginning with a weekend series against Seattle Mar. 9-11. UC Davis also hosts San Jose State, Saint Mary’s, Nevada and Stanford during that span.
The Aggies will say “Aloha” to their nonconference schedule with a four-game series at Hawai’i. The Rainbow Warriors were selected as having one of the toughest schedules in the country by ESPN.com as they begin their final season with the WAC. Beginning in 2013, Hawai’i will become an official member of the Big West Conference.
UC Davis begins Big West play against Cal State Fullerton Apr. 5-7 at Goodwin Field, marking the second straight year that the Aggies have opened league play against the Titans. Cal State Fullerton was the top finisher in the conference in 2011 and hosted an NCAA Regional for the 10th time since the turn of the century.
“Every team in our conference is a good baseball team, so our approach is literally going to be to take things one game at a time,” said Vaughn. “There is a lot of parity in the Big West. Every team has worked to be at or near the top of the conference year in and year out, and every team is capable of getting there which will make for a fun and challenging conference schedule.”
Pacific comes to Dobbins Stadium Apr. 13-15 for the first home series of the Big West schedule, followed by a single game against Sacramento State on Apr. 17. The Aggies and the Hornets will meet twice in 2012 with Sacramento State hosting the other matchup on Apr. 11.
UC Davis then hits a road stretch, playing seven of its next eight games away from Davis, including back-to-back series against UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara. The Aggies return home on May 4 to host Cal Poly for three games and follow that by playing Long Beach State May 11-13 at Dobbins Stadium. UC Davis hosts consecutive weekend series only twice in 2012.
A road trip to Cal State Northridge May 18-20 is followed by the season finale against UC Irvine which UC Davis will host May 25-27.
