RICHMOND, Va. – There’s an old adage that states, “to be the best, you got to beat the best.”
The University of Richmond baseball team is facing just that this spring with a loaded 2017 schedule that Head Coach Tracy Woodson announced on Tuesday afternoon.
“We believe in challenging our guys as much as possible against the some of the best competition in the country,” Woodson said. “Our schedule presents a lot of opportunities to test us and prepare us for the challenges that the conference schedule always presents.”
The challenges start on opening day when the Spiders take on defending national champion Coastal Carolina on February 17 in Conway, S.C.
“Our guys were definitely excited when we told them about opening up against Coastal,” Woodson said. “To be successful, you have to always want to compete against the best and there’s no better way to do that than against the defending national champions. We are really happy with the number of quality teams on this schedule.”
Richmond will face a total of six NCAA Tournament teams in the spring. Along with battling the Chanticleers, the Spiders will take on perennial powers UVA, North Carolina, Texas, St. John’s, Maryland and Michigan State, who will be coming to Pitt Field for the Spider Invitational.
The Spiders’ home opener is set for February 22when in-state foe Longwood visits Pitt Field for a 2:30 p.m. contest.
A spring break trip to Texas highlights the early season schedule, which leads into an eight-game home stand before the Spiders head into conference play with a trip to Dayton on March 24-26.
Richmond’s A10 home opener comes on April 7-9 when George Washington visits Pitt Field.
The Spiders wrap up the regular season with a highly anticipated crosstown showdown with VCU from May 18-20 at Pitt Field.
2017 Richmond Baseball Schedule
