FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Entering its second season in the nation’s premier baseball conference, the Mizzou baseball program announced its 2014 schedule on Wednesday (Jan. 8). The slate features an exciting conference schedule and a competitive non-conference that includes a pair of tournaments to open the season. Mizzou is looking to rebound from an 18-32 season that saw it finish 12th in the Southeastern Conference in its first season as a member of the best baseball league in America. Mizzou will also resume playing at Kaufman Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Royals, as it will face off against Missouri Valley power Wichita State in a mid-week showdown on April 22.
The Tigers will open the season with a pair of tournaments on the road, beginning with a four-game slate in Jacksonville, Fla., at the North Florida Tournament. Mizzou will open the season with a Feb. 14 tilt against Richmond at 5:30 p.m. (CT) before playing host North Florida in a double-header on Saturday (Feb. 15) at 2:30 p.m. The Tigers are one of three SEC schools on the docket for North Florida. The tournament will conclude with an 11 a.m. showdown with Liberty on Sunday (Feb. 16).
The following weekend, Mizzou will hit the road again, this time to Winston-Salem, N.C., for three games at Wake Forest. The Tigers will square off with Radford at 11 a.m. (CT) on Feb. 21 before playing host Wake Forest on Saturday at 3 p.m. (CT). The tournament will conclude with Cincinnati at 11 a.m. (CT) on Sunday (Feb. 23). Before coming home, Mizzou will host a pair of midweek games in Cary, N.C., against Liberty and Campbell on Feb. 25 and 26, respectively.
Opening day at Taylor Stadium will be held on Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. as Illinois-Chicago comes to Columbia for a three-game series. Mizzou will play the Flames again at 2 p.m. on Saturday (March 1) and 1 p.m. on Sunday (March 2). The Tigers will then host Alabama A&M for a pair of midweek games on March 4-5 before hosting Southern Miss for a weekend series beginning on March 7. Alcorn State comes to Columbia for a two-game series from March 11-12.
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Following the Alcorn State series, the Tigers will open SEC play against East Division rival Tennessee at Taylor Stadium on March 14 for a three-game series. That comes before heading on the road for a three-game series at Ole Miss beginning March 21. The Tigers will then play a home game with Arkansas-Little Rock on March 25 during Spring Break before heading to Auburn for a three-game series that begins on March 28.
Mizzou will return to T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O’Fallon, Mo., for a neutral site game against Southern Illinois on April 1 at 6:30 p.m. That game comes before a three-game home series with Georgia on April 4. A battle for in-state supremacy is next up for the Tigers as they welcome Missouri State to Taylor Stadium for a 6 p.m. start on April 8 before heading to Kentucky for a three-game series on April 11. The Tigers will then make a return trip to Missouri State the following Tuesday for an April 15 date at Hammons Field.
The Tigers will then welcome College World Series participant Mississippi State on April 18 for a three-game series. Of course, that series will be somewhat of a homecoming for MSU head coach John Cohen, who used to coach under Mizzou head coach Tim Jamieson at Mizzou. Also, the Tigers will look to avenge a 17-inning loss to Mississippi State in the opening round of the SEC Tournament last season.
The following Tuesday, Mizzou will return to Kaufman Stadium, the home of Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals, for midweek contest with Wichita State on April 22. The Tigers will then head to Gainesville, Fla., for a three-game series with Florida on April 25. SEMO comes to the Tigers on April 29 for a midweek bout before the Tigers close the season with SEC weekend series against Vanderbilt (May 2-4 at home), South Carolina (May 9-11 on the road) and Arkansas (May 15-17 at home). Between the Vanderbilt and South Carolina series, Mizzou will play Illinois at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill., on May 6 at 6:30 p.m. The SEC Tournament will be held May 21-25 in Hoover, Ala.
