RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University released its baseball schedule for the 2016 season, the first under new head coach Edwin Thompson.
The Colonels will play 10 games against six teams that played in the NCAA regionals last season. Two of those teams – Louisville and Virginia Commonwealth – advanced to the super regionals in 2015. Eleven of the 25 teams on the schedule won 30 or more games a year ago and 13 posted winning records in their conference.
Three opponents are ranked among the top 30 teams in the nation in the Collegiate Baseball pre-season poll. Louisville is No. 2, Mississippi State is ranked 11th and Kentucky sits at 29th.
“I am excited to start competing in games this spring. We have a great opportunity for our program to play against some of the nation’s best,” Thompson said. “Every team’s goal is to make the NCAA Tournament. Playing against some SEC and ACC programs, and against six teams that made the NCAA Tournament last year, will only benefit our players and program as we enter conference play.”
The season begins Feb. 19 with a three-game series at Lipscomb, a team that won 39 games and earned a trip to an NCAA regional in 2015. Eastern’s first six games are against teams that made a regional last season.
After the series in Nashville, EKU will play a single game at Louisville on Feb. 23. The Cardinals were 47-18 last year and had the best record in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Eastern Kentucky will play four games over three days in Wilmington, North Carolina Feb. 26-28. The Colonels open with VCU before taking on host UNC Wilmington, who went 41-18 and made the regionals in 2015. EKU closes with two games against South Dakota State, a 30-win team last season.
Eastern’s first home games of the 2016 season will come on March 4-6 against Maryland Eastern Shore. The series opener is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. On the following weekend, the Colonels begin Ohio Valley Conference play at home against 2015 regular season champion Southeast Missouri State. The Redhawks were 36-23 last season and won the league title with a 22-8 mark.
EKU plays at Mississippi State on March 15. The Bulldogs are coming off a 24-30 season, but are expected to be a top-15 team in 2016.
Over a five day period in early April, Eastern Kentucky will play four games at home against two teams that played in last season’s NCAA regionals. Rival Morehead State comes to Richmond for three games April 1-3. Ohio University visits Turkey Hughes Field for a mid-week game on April 5.
The Colonels will play at Kentucky on April 12.
The final home games of the 2016 season are scheduled for May 13-15 against Murray State. The regular season concludes May 19-21 at Tennessee Tech.
The 2016 OVC Tournament is slated for May 25-29 in Jackson, Tennessee. The NCAA regionals will be held June 3-5.
