(Courtesy of Southern Miss Media Relations)
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Twenty-nine home games, seven opponents that reached the postseason a season ago and trips to four different minor league ballparks highlight the 2016 Southern Miss baseball schedule released Thursday by Golden Eagle coach Scott Berry.
The Golden Eagles look to improve on a 36-18-1 record for a season ago in which they tied a school-record for consecutive victories with 13. Southern Miss finished tied for second in C-USA play with Florida Atlantic as both squads completed league play with a 19-10 mark.
This season, the squad opens the year at home for the 18th time over the last 19 years, Friday, Feb. 19, against Eastern Illinois in a 4 p.m., contest at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field. The game marks the first of a three-game series against the Panthers and also opens the longest homestand of the year of eight games.
As the Golden Eagles continue through their spring schedule, they will play seven different teams, totaling 15 games, which reached the postseason a year ago, including non-conference foes Auburn, Ole Miss, Louisiana-Lafayette, Tulane, along with Conference UAB foes Florida Atlantic, FIU and Rice.
In addition, Southern Miss also makes a return visit to Bayfront Stadium in Pensacola, Fla., the Double A home of the Cincinnati Reds, for the Pensacola Tournament, which will include games against Michigan State (Mar. 4), Troy (Mar. 5) and Auburn (Mar. 6) as well as its two annual trips to Trustmark Park, the Double A home for the Atlanta Braves, against Mississippi State (Apr. 1) and Ole Miss (Apr. 5). The Golden Eagles also return to Charleston, W.Va., to open C-USA play against Marshall (Mar. 18-20) at a Single A home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the West Virginia Power and their diamond, Appalachian Power Park.
The Golden Eagles will add a new minor league park to its resume, when they take on South Alabama (Mar. 2) and Tulane (Mar. 22) at MGM Park in Biloxi. The ballpark is home the Biloxi Shuckers, the Double A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, which recently completed its inaugural season in the Southern League.
Along with EIU on the home slate, Southern Miss welcomes non-conference foes ULM (Feb. 23), New Orleans (Feb. 24) Northwestern State (Feb. 26-28), Southeastern Louisiana (Mar. 9), Samford (Mar. 11-13), Alabama (Mar. 15) and Louisiana-Lafayette (Apr. 26) to The Pete this spring along with C-USA opponents UTSA (Mar. 24-26), Middle Tennessee (Apr. 8-10), Rice (Apr. 22-24), Western Kentucky (May 6-8) and Louisiana Tech (May 13-15).
The program also goes on the road to face South Alabama (Mar. 1), Southeastern Louisiana (Mar. 8), Ole Miss (Apr. 13), Tulane (Apr. 19) and New Orleans (Apr. 27), as well as play league weekends at Marshall, Charlotte (Apr. 1-3), UAB (Apr. 15-17), Florida Atlantic (Apr.29-May 1) and FIU (May 19-21).
Following the regular season finale at FIU, the Golden Eagles return home to play host to the 2016 Conference USA baseball championship for the third consecutive year and a league-high sixth time overall, May 25-29.
