SANTA CLARA, Calif. — On the heels of its first postseason appearance since 1997, Santa Clara Baseball begins the 2015 season by facing defending College World Series champion Vanderbilt on the road. The Broncos and Commodores meet for opening weeked Feb. 13-15 at Hawkins Field in Nashville, Tenn. It marks the first matchup between the programs, which collectively boast more than 250 years of baseball history.
“This is the toughest schedule SCU Baseball has played in a long time — maybe ever — and that’s the way it should be,” fourth-year head coach Dan O’Brien said. “We believe that if you’re not playing the best, you have no business talking about becoming one of the best. Therefore, we designed a schedule to prepare us for conference play and to give us and opportunity to earn a regional bid. It’s a great schedule for those reasons and we can’t wait to get started.”
After a four-game road swing to start the year, the Broncos will host seven in a row — including their home-opening series Feb. 20-21 against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Schott Stadium. First pitch for the Feb. 20 home opener is scheduled for 6 p.m., followed by a Saturday doubleheader. Santa Clara plays a four-game set the next weekend against the Eastern Michigan Eagles Feb. 27-March 1, which features a second straight Saturday doubleheader.
Altogether, Santa Clara is slated for 54 games in 12 stadiums across six states: Tennessee, Kansas, Arizona, Texas, Oregon and California. The Broncos play an even 27 games at Schott Stadium and 27 games away from home.
Santa Clara’s non-conference schedule is packed with top opposition in 2014 College World Series participant TCU on the road April 17-19, super regional participant Stanford (home April 14, away May 5) and regional finalist Cal Poly (away March 3, home April 21). In its last series before West Coast Conference play, Santa Clara hits the road to face Big XII powerhouse Kansas State, who made it to a super regional with a school record 45-win season in 2013. UC Davis, Grand Canyon and San Jose State round out the remainder of Santa Clara’s non-conference schedule.
WCC action begins on the road March 13-15 at LMU prior to the following weekend’s home-opening conference series March 20-22 against USD. The Broncos travel to face Pepperdine, Saint Mary’s and Portland in conference, with a season-long road trip of eight games May 1-12. They host Pacific, USF, Gonzaga, and the final series of the regular season against BYU May 14-16.
Santa Clara tied for fourth in the conference last year to qualify for the West Coast Conference Baseball Championship. With another top four finish in the WCC, the Broncos will qualify for the conference tournament, held for the third straight year at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, Calif. May 21-23.
Prior to the start of the season, the Santa Clara will play an intrasquad scrimmage in their annual Fall World Series, Game 7 of which is open to the public Nov. 16. Santa Clara’s alumni game will be held one week before the start of the season on Feb. 7.
