GREENVILLE, S.C. — Five games at Fluor Field, including clashes against both South Carolina and Clemson, and 36 contests within the Palmetto state highlight Furman’s 2016 baseball schedule, which has been released by Paladin head coach Ron Smith.
Furman will play Clemson on Mar. 29 and South Carolina on Apr. 20 at Fluor Field, part of a 28-game home schedule that features three contests in the First Pitch Invitational versus Fordham (Feb. 19), Michigan State (Feb. 20), and Presbyterian (Feb. 21) at the beautiful downtown facility, which serves as the home of the Boston Red Sox Single A South Atlantic League affiliate Greenville Drive.
Furman is scheduled to play 11 of its first 12 games at home, including three-game series’ against both Dayton (Feb. 26-28) and Holy Cross (Mar. 5-6) at Latham Stadium on campus.
Presbyterian (Feb. 23) will provide Furman its first road test of 2016.
The Paladins will travel to New Orleans, La., to take on 2015 NCAA Tournament participant Tulane in a three-game series (Mar. 11-13) that will mark the first clash in baseball between the Paladins and Green Wave.
The next weekend Furman squares off against former Southern Conference foe Davidson in a three-game set at Davidson (Mar. 18-20).
Samford will provide the opposition when the Paladins open SoCon play at Latham Stadium, part of weekend set versus the Bulldogs (Mar. 24-27).
Furman’s lone weekend break from SoCon action will see the Paladins travel to Morgantown, W.Va., to take on the Mountaineers of West Virginia in a three-game series (Apr. 8-10).
The Paladins wrap up the regular season against league foe Wofford (May 19-21) before serving as co-host of the SoCon Tournament, scheduled for May 24-29 at Fluor Field.
Furman, which posted a 25-32 overall record a year ago, returns seven position regulars and two of its three weekend starting pitchers.
Among the Paladins’ top returnees are senior infielder Jordan Simpson (.339, 14 HR, 46 RBI), senior outfielder Griffin Davis (.292, 3 HR, 29 RBI), junior catcher Cameron Whitehead (.258, 7 HR, 29 RBI), and sophomore first baseman Brandon Elmy (.285, 6 HR, 23 RBI).
The pitching staff is headed up by a trio of right-handers, including senior Ryan Griffith (1-2, 2.73 ERA), junior Matthew Quarles (6-2, 5.46 ERA), and sophomore Will Gaddis (3-6, 5.40 ERA).
Ron Smith is entering his 23rd year as head baseball coach at his alma mater.
