FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
SAN FRANCISCO—The Diamond Dons have released an impressive schedule for the 2014 season and it features a number of traditional powers along with those with recent NCAA Tournament success as they prepare themselves for a run at the West Coast Conference championship.
The tough nonconference slate includes powerhouses such as Cal State Fullerton, Stanford, and one of their NCAA regional opponents Oregon. They will also face off with NCAA participant Arkansas at AT&T Park on Mar. 7 and reigning Big 12 champion Kansas State for a contest on Feb. 18.
The Dons will face four teams in the preseason who finished in the final 2013 USA Today Coaches Top 25 poll and six teams who reached the NCAA Tournament last season.
USF kicks off the season on Feb. 14 when they travel to UC Riverside for a three-game series.
The Dons will play its first nine WCC games at Benedetti Diamond with it kicking off against Gonzaga on Mar. 14. The final series of the homestand pits San Francisco against WCC champion San Diego, who USF faced in the inaugural WCC championship final in May.
Nine of the Dons’ final 12 WCC games will be played on the road with trips to Pepperdine (Apr. 17-19), Portland (Apr. 25-27) and Saint Mary’s (May 9-11).
The Dons finished the 2013 season going 15-9 in WCC play and 35-24 overall, which included earning a berth into the NCAA Tournament. It was their third appearance in the tournament and first since 2011.
