BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Defending Big South Champion Campbell revealed its 2015 baseball schedule today, featuring 33 home contests and a full conference slate.
The Camels will play home-and-home series with East Carolina, UNC Wilmington, College of Charleston, Elon and North Carolina Central. The team will also head on the road for midweek contests at North Carolina (April 21), North Carolina State (May 5) and Duke (March 31).
“From a midweek standpoint, we have some great home and home series with some great competition,” said first year head coach Justin Haire. “There aren’t a lot of cupcakes on that schedule, I can tell you that, and we’re excited about the challenge. We just need to go out there, compete and win games. When we get into conference play, it doesn’t get any easier.”
CU will play nine opponents, totaling 18 games, against teams who made the NCAA Tournament over the last two seasons, including 2013 College World Series participants North Carolina and NC State, as well as the College of Charleston, which made the Lubbock Super Regional in 2014.
17 of Campbell’s first 22 games will be played at home, including the team’s season-opener, a three game series with Northern Kentucky (Feb. 13-15), and two home tournaments.
“We want to play as many home games as we can because we have some of the best fans in the Big South Conference,” said Haire. “When we have sellouts and people tailgating in the parking lot, we want to put on a show for them.”
The Camels will host the Campbell Invitational February 20-22 at Jim Perry Stadium, featuring Virginia Tech and Rider, followed by the Fighting Camel Classic on February 27 to March 1, featuring Miami (Ohio), Maryland-Eastern Shore and Furman.
“We have a lot of good early season tests, especially on the weekends,” said Haire. “To have Virginia Tech, an ACC school, come down here on the weekend is great for our program and our guys. Miami (Ohio) and Furman will also be in early season tournaments, and we’ll play Appalachian State in our annual neutral site game, which has been good for us.”
The team’s only games away from Jim Perry Stadium in the month of February will be a neutral site game against Appalachian State in a to be determined site on February 17, and a short trek to UNC Wilmington on February 24.
UNCW returns to CU on April 29, while hosting CofC March 17, ECU April 7, NCCU April 8 and Elon on April 22. Campbell will make return trips to CofC (March 25), ECU (March 10), NCCU (May 6) and Elon (April 14) throughout the season.
Other nonconference action for the Camels will include a two-game set at William & Mary March 3-4 in Williamsburg, Va., and a pair of home weekend series against Bowling Green (March 6-8) and California (May 8-9).
“Our facilities have really improved over the last few years, and that has allowed us to bring in some very high caliber programs, such as Cal and Virginia Tech this season,” said Haire. “These games will provide a great opportunity to challenge our team, one early and another late in the year.”
“From a personal standpoint, hosting Bowling Green will be special for me, having played there my freshman and sophomore years for Coach Danny Schmitz, who’s still there,” added Haire. “So to be able to coach against the guy I played for in college will be great.”
The Cal series will mark Campbell’s first time ever hosting a Pac-12 program, playing its first Pac-12 opponent since Stanford in the 1990 Palo Alto NCAA Regional.
The Camels will play eight Big South series this season, beginning with Longwood in Buies Creek March 13-15. Campbell will also host Radford (March 27-29), Charleston Southern (April 17-19) and Coastal Carolina (May 14-16).
Campbell will also travel to High Point (March 20-22), Presbyterian (April 2-4), Liberty (April 10-12) and Gardner-Webb (May 1-3).
CU will make a second trip to Boiling Springs later in the month for the Big South Tournament, May 19-23.
