TULSA, Okla. – Fourth year head coach Ryan Folmar has announced the Golden Eagles 2016 baseball schedule. Fans will have plenty of opportunities to see the team in action this year as ORU host 26 games at J.L. Johnson Stadium.
“We are once again very excited to be taking on a great schedule,” Folmar said. “We have an outstanding non-conference schedule with a good balance of home series.”
After putting together one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the country last season, the Golden Eagles will be tasked once again as the team will face four 2015 NCAA Tournament qualifiers including Oklahoma State, Dallas Baptist, Missouri State and Auburn.
Fans will also be able to catch the Golden Eagles in Tulsa against some of the regions toughest competition as the team will play home-and-home series with OSU, Oklahoma, Wichita State and Missouri State.
The Shockers will make their way to Tulsa early on for a midweek matchup Feb. 23 while the Sooners are slated for a game Mar. 22 at J.L Johnson Stadium. ORU will faceoff with Texas Tech May 10 before closing out the home schedule May 17 with Oklahoma State. The Golden Eagles will also take on Big 12 member Kansas State Mar. 30 in Manhattan, Kans.
After traveling to Ruston, la. last season for a weekend series against Louisiana Tech, the Bulldogs will make the return trip this season beginning Feb. 19 in Tulsa. The only other home nonconference series for the Golden Eagles is set for Mar. 4-6 when Little Rock comes to town.
The team’s first road trip will come in the second weekend of the season when the Golden Eagles head to Dallas to take on Dallas Baptist (Feb. 26-28). The Patriots finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference during the regular season and were one of 16 host schools during the 2015 NCAA postseason tournament.
ORU will make a trip to Springfield, Mo. to take on defending MVC regular season and postseason champions Missouri State (Mar. 1) for the first time in two years. MSU will make a return trip to Tulsa Apr. 19.
Following its home series with Little Rock, the Golden Eagles will embark on a five-game road trip to the southeast as the team will take on Auburn for the first time in program history in a three-game series (Mar. 11-13) before playing single games against both Jacksonville State (Mar. 15) and Mississippi State (Mar. 16).
Oral Roberts will begin Summit League action with South Dakota State coming to town for a weekend series beginning Mar. 18. Summit League tournament runner-up IPFW will makes its way to Tulsa for a weekend series starting Mar. 25.
Other home league series include North Dakota State (Apr. 1-3), Omaha (Apr. 15-17) and Western Illinois (May 6-8). Each conference team will face each other with home-and-home series.
After winning The Summit League Championship a year ago, the Golden Eagles will host the 2016 League Tournament at J. L. Johnson Stadium May 25-28.
Folmar will look to build on the program’s 25th NCAA tournament appearance while welcoming 19 newcomers to this year’s team including 11 transfers and eight true freshmen.
Among top returning players for the Golden Eagles is sophomore Matt Whatley. Whatley became just the 14th Golden Eagle to earn Freshman All-America honors and the first to do so since 2012 when Jose Trevino earned the honor. He led ORU in hitting with a .355 average earning Summit League Newcomer of the Year honors and First Team All-Summit League accolades at catcher.
