LYNCHBURG, Va. – Two games against 2014 NCAA College World Series runner-up Virginia, two contests against 2014 NCAA Super Regional participant Maryland and a season-opening match-up with 2014 NCAA Super Regional participant Kennesaw State are a part of a challenging 2015 schedule released by the Liberty baseball program, this afternoon.
In addition to those five contests, the Flames will also play 15 games against 2014 NCAA Regional participants Bryant, Georgia Tech, Kent State, North Carolina, Old Dominion and fellow Big South member Campbell.
Along with Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Virginia, the Flames are scheduled to square off with Duke twice during 2015 and travel to Virginia Tech for a total of seven games against ACC teams.
Michigan of the Big 10, perineal BIG EAST contender St. John’s, American Athletic Conference East Carolina, back-to-back Southern Conference regular season champion Western Carolina, Colonial Athletic Association James Madison and fellow Big South member Coastal Carolina are also teams that have made a NCAA Tournament field in the past several years on the Flames’ 2015 schedule.
Last season, Liberty posted a 41-18 overall record and set a program record for Big South Conference victories with a 23-3 record, claiming the league’s 2014 regular season title. The Flames received the program’s first ever at-large selection to a NCAA Regional and appeared at a regional in back-to-back years for the first time in team history. With 41 wins, Liberty recorded the second most wins and posted the fourth 40-plus win season in in program history.
Liberty will begin its 2015 campaign in Atlanta, Ga. in the Atlanta Challenge, Feb. 13-15. The Flames will open their season at Kennesaw State on Feb. 13 as part of the Challenge.
The next day, Liberty will visit Georgia State, before finishing out the Atlanta Challenge at Georgia Tech on Feb. 15.
Liberty will open its 30-game home schedule by hosting Bryant on Feb. 27 in the opening game of a four-game series at Liberty Baseball Stadium.
Besides the season-opening Atlanta Challenge, the non-conference portion of the Liberty’s 2015 schedule is highlighted by trips to the Keith LeClair Classic in Greenville, N.C., North Carolina and Virginia Tech; home-and-home series with Old Dominion, Maryland, and Virginia; and four-game home series with Kent State and the previously mention four-game set with Bryant.
The Flames will participate in the 2015 Keith LeClair Classic, Feb. 20-22. Liberty will face Michigan on Feb. 20, host East Carolina on Feb. 21 and St. John’s on Feb. 22.The Flames will visit Virginia Tech on March 17 and North Carolina on April 8.
Liberty will welcome Virginia to Liberty Baseball Stadium on March 25 and visit the Cavaliers on April 22. Maryland, now a member of the Big Ten Conference, will visit Liberty on April 14 and host the Flames on May 12. Old Dominion, one of several Commonwealth teams on the schedule, will host the Flames on Feb. 24 and pay a visit to Liberty Baseball Stadium on March 31.
Kent State, who squared off with the Flames at Liberty Baseball Stadium last season, will visit for a four-game series, March 6-8.
Liberty’s challenging non-conference schedule also includes hosting Penn State and Western Carolina in the Liberty Invitational, single home games against James Madison and West Virginia, a visit to Richmond and The Citadel, and a home-and-home series with Duke.
Liberty, which won the 2014 Big South Conference regular season title with a 23-3 record, will open its 2015 Big South Conference schedule with a three-game conference series at Radford, March 20-22. This season, the Flames will play a total of 24 Big South games.
Liberty will also travel to Charleston Southern, Longwood, and Coastal Carolina, while hosting Presbyterian, Campbell, Gardner-Webb and High Point for conference series.
The Flames will look to capture the 2015 Big South Baseball Championship at J.H. Moss Stadium in Boiling Springs, N.C., May 19-23. The conference champion will receive the Big South’s automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Regional play in the 2015 NCAA Tournament is scheduled for May 29-31, at sites yet to be determined.
