TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – University of Alabama head baseball coach Mitch Gaspard announced today the schedule for the 2013 campaign. The Crimson Tide will play a full slate of games in the upcoming season, which includes 31 games at Sewell-Thomas Stadium and 28 games against teams that competed in the 2012 NCAA Baseball Tournament.
“This is a challenging schedule as we will play 28 games against teams that were in the postseason play last year,” Gaspard said. “We think our nonconference schedule is excellent, with VMI and Tulane at home and Florida Atlantic and Louisville on the road.
All of our midweek and nonconference games are against proven teams with great baseball traditions.”
During the upcoming 56-game schedule, Alabama will play half of its games against teams that competed in the 2012 NCAA Baseball Tournament, with six games against Super Regional teams; including three against Arkansas, who was a College World Series participant. Last year’s NCAA tournament participants on this year’s schedule include; Samford, Louisville, UAB, Arkansas, Mississippi, LSU, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Missouri and Vanderbilt.
Opening day for the 2013 Crimson Tide baseball season is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 15, when Alabama begins a three-game series against VMI at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. After the four-game home stand to open the year concludes with Southern Mississippi on Tuesday, Feb. 19, the Tide will hit the road for a three-game series at Florida Atlantic (Feb. 22-24).
Samford, the first 2012 NCAA tournament participant on the schedule for Alabama, will travel to Tuscaloosa on Feb. 26, before UA hosts Tulane for a three-game set, March 1-3. The fifth edition of the Capital City Classic between Alabama and Auburn will take place on March 5, when the teams meet at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
After three games at Louisville (March 8-10), the Tide will host Memphis for a pair of midweek games on March 12-13. Southeastern Conference play begins at home for the Tide, when Tennessee travels to Tuscaloosa for games on March 15-17. The first road SEC series will have Alabama playing at Georgia, March 22-24. Following the Georgia series, Alabama will play UAB at Regions Park (March 26), before closing out the season-long seven-game road swing at Auburn, March 29-31.
“With our team, I think this the right schedule for us as we prepare of for another tough SEC season,” Gaspard said. “We’re excited for the SEC season and having newcomers Texas A&M and Missouri coming to Sewell-Thomas Stadium. We think it’s one of the tougher schedules that we’ve had and it will give us a true gauge of where we’re at as a program.”
In April, Alabama will play 13 of its 17 games in the month at home. Following a midweek home game against Southeastern Louisiana (April 2), the Tide welcomes 2012 CWS participant Arkansas to “The Joe,” April 5-7. After a pair of midweek games against Alcorn State, the Tide makes a trip to Oxford, Miss., to take on the Rebels, April 12-14. UA then plays UAB (April 16) and LSU (April 19-21) at home, before a Wednesday road trip to Southern Mississippi. The Tide wraps up the month with a three-game home set against SEC newcomer and 2012 NCAA tournament participant Texas A&M (April 26-28).
May begins with the Tide playing three games at Mississippi State (May 3-5), before the home schedule closes with a midweek contest against Troy (May 8) and a three-game series against the second SEC newcomer Missouri, May 10-12. The regular season wraps up with a three-game set at Vanderbilt, May 16-18.
Once again the SEC Baseball Tournament will be contested in Hoover, Ala., at Regions Park. The 10-team tournament will begin on Wednesday, May 22, and runs through Sunday, May 26.
