COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M Baseball announced its schedule for the 2015 season, a 56-game slate that features 36 home games in the friendly confines of Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
The Aggies will play 11 teams that participated in the 2013 NCAA Championship for a total of 27 games, including Alabama (3), Kentucky (3), Mississippi State (3), Arkansas (3), LSU (3), South Carolina (3), Ole Miss (3), Sam Houston State (2), Dallas Baptist, Houston, Nebraska and Rice.
“We once again have a challenging schedule ahead of us,” Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress said. “Last year we had 25 games on the schedule against teams that were tournament tested and this year we have even more. On the road, we’ll be playing in a major league park again and we’ll be playing in some of the finest facilities in college baseball.”
The Aggies’ 2014 campaign commences with a 13-game home stand, including three-game series against Holy Cross (Feb. 13-15), Penn State (Feb. 20-22) and Dartmouth (Feb. 27-Mar. 1).
A&M’s lone road non-conference weekend is the Houston College Classic where the Aggies will face former conference foes Houston, Nebraska and Baylor at Minute Maid Park from March 6-8.
The Maroon and White open SEC play on March 13-15 with a home series against Auburn. The Aggies other home series are against Missouri (March 27-29), Mississippi State (April 10-12), Arkansas (April 17-19) and South Carolina (May 8-10).
“The home conference slate is exciting,” Childress said. “The last two years we played at Arkansas and both series were like a prize fight. I think the 12th Man will really enjoy that series. The last two years the series against Auburn and Mississippi State have also been competitive. We’re very familiar with Missouri and those series are always intense. Our fans are also getting their first chance to see South Carolina play at Blue Bell Park, so that’s a weekend they will want to mark on their calendars.”
The Aggies’ first conference road series is against Alabama, but the squads may play at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, home of the SEC Tournament, as the Crimson Tide’s Sewell-Thomas Stadium is undergoing renovation. The Aggies play their first-ever SEC road series at Kentucky (April 3-5) and LSU (April 24-26). Other road trips in league action include Tennessee (May 1-3) and Ole Miss (May 14-16).
“We’ll be fortunate if we get some more games under our belt in Hoover,” Childress said. “It could prove valuable come SEC Tournament time,” Childress said. “All of our guys are getting to play in Alex Box Stadium (LSU) and at Kentucky for the first time, so that will brings excitement to the road schedule. Ole Miss and Tennessee provided great baseball atmosphere the last time we were there, so those will also be great road trips for our fans.”
A&M hosts 12 midweek games, including contests against Stephen F. Austin (Feb. 17), Houston Baptist (Feb. 24), Incarnate Word (Feb. 25), Houston Baptist (March 3), Texas-Pan American (March 10-11), Prairie View A&M (March 17), Sam Houston State (March 31), Rice (April 7), Abilene Christian (April 15), Texas-Arlington (April 21) and Texas State (April 28).
Texas A&M travels for midweek games on at Texas-San Antonio (March 24) and Sam Houston State (May 12).
The SEC Tournament is slated for May 19-24 at the Hoover Met.
NCAA Regional action is scheduled for May 29-June 1 before the Super Regionals take place the weekend of June 5-7. College baseball’s national champion will be crowned in Omaha during the College World Series on June 12-23.
