OREM, Utah — Utah Valley University baseball coach Eric Madsen has announced his team’s 2016 schedule, which features four opponents from the Pac 12 as well as the first Big 10 team to make an appearance at Brent Brown Ballpark.
After playing its first 13 games away from Orem, UVU will play 24 of the remaining 40 games at home. Last season’s schedule had just 19 games at Brent Brown Ballpark.
“Overall this is a schedule that allows us to be competitive and challenging in a way that prepares us for the WAC season,” Madsen said. “We have a good nucleus of seniors and upperclassmen returning that we’ll be relying on, and I’m confident we’ll take a step forward this coming season.”
Six games will come against in-state foes Utah and BYU; the Wolverines face the Utes in Salt Lake City twice (March 29 and April 19), and once at home (April 5). UVU and BYU meet twice in Provo (March 8 and May 3) and once in Orem (April 26).
The Wolverines open the 2016 season on Feb. 19 in a tournament hosted by Oregon State in Surprise, Arizona. Over the three-day weekend, UVU will face Ball State twice, Minnesota and Oregon State.
“It’s a tough opening weekend for us,” Madsen said. “Ball State is a very good program coming off of a 33-win season, Minnesota is a Big 10 program, and Oregon State’s track record speaks for itself.”
From there, Utah Valley will play at Santa Clara’s Jack Gifford Memorial Tournament in the Bay Area where against SCU, Saint Joseph’s, and will also face UC Davis twice. It will be the first meeting against Saint Joseph’s, and the first time the Wolverines have faced UC Davis since 2006.
The team’s first head-to-head series takes place the following week, in a four-game series at Pac 12 Washington State in Pullman.
After the first midweek of the season at BYU on March 8, Utah Valley opens its home schedule against Portland on March 10 in a four-game series against the WCC’s Pilots.
Big 10 Minnesota, who UVU will also have seen on opening weekend in Surprise, makes its way to Orem for a three-game series on March 18 in the final non-conference weekend series of the year.
After a midweek at Pac 12 Arizona on March 22, the Wolverines open WAC play at defending regular season conference champion Grand Canyon on March 24 in Phoenix.
Of the nine WAC series, four will be on the road and five at home, with North Dakota the first league series in Orem (April 1-3).
The remaining league series will be: Northern Colorado (April 8-10), at New Mexico State (April 15-17), Seattle U (April 22-24), CSU Bakersfield (April 29-May 1), at Sacramento State (May 6-8), UTGRV (May 13-15), and at Chicago State (May 19-21).
“The WAC continues to get better, top to bottom, each year. Sac State proved that two years ago and Bakersfield proved last season with success at the NCAA Regional,” said Madsen. “I think every team has the potential to be improved, so getting through the WAC season and qualifying for the WAC Tournament will be a grind.”
The 2016 WAC Tournament will again be at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, and runs May 25-29 with the top six teams qualifying for the double-elimination tournament to decide the league’s automatic bid.
2016 Utah Valley University Schedule
