Baltimore, Md.—UMBC head coach Bob Mumma enters his sixth season at the helm of the Retrievers in 2017, after posting back-to-back winning seasons in Baltimore. Mumma announced this year’s slate, which features 20 home games, on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The Retrievers finished the season at 28-23, 13-10 AE, earning their second consecutive berth in the America East Championship Tournament.
“We have a stronger than usual schedule this year, adding a lot of good mid-week games to this year’s schedule,” Mumma said on the upcoming slate.
The Retrievers will open the year with a three-game set in Lexington, S.C. at the Liberty Tournament. UMBC will play the host Flames on Friday, Feb. 24 before taking on Big East foe St. John’s on Saturday and Sunday.
The month of March opens with a weekend series at Gardner-Webb, March 3-5. The Retrievers and Runnin’ Bulldogs will play a game a day, each beginning at 1 p.m. UMBC will travel to Delaware for a midweek contest with the Blue Hens on Tuesday, March 7, before making their home opener the next day against Towson at 2:30 p.m.
UMBC heads to UNC Asheville March 10-12 for a weekend set with the Bulldogs, before heading home to Baltimore for nine games to end the month of March. During that stretch, the Retrievers will host Navy (March 15), George Washington (March 21) and George Mason (March 28) in non-conference action, with conference series against Maine (March 18-19) and Albany (March 25-26).
“Playing teams like Liberty, Gardner-Webb, St. John’s, and UNC Asheville will help us come America East play, and give us a good test coming out of the gate,” Mumma said on the first few games of the year.
April opens with a home-and-home series with Mount St. Mary’s on the first two days of the month. The Mountaineers and Retrievers will play two in Emmitsburg on the 1st, with a single game the following day in Baltimore. Delaware will make the trip down I-95 for a mid-week matchup on Wed., March 5 before the Retrievers travel to Binghamton on March 8-9 to face the defending America East champs.
Following a midweek game at George Washington on Wednesday, April 11, UMBC will host Coppin State the next day before heading to Hartford on April 15-16. The Black and Gold will have the week off before hosting UMass Lowell Saturday and Sunday, April 22-23.
UMBC will then hit the road for an 11-game road swing from April 25 through May 11. The Retrievers will travel to Georgetown (April 25), Albany (April 29-30), Navy (May 2), Maine (May 6-7), Maryland (May 9), Towson (May 10) and Coppin State (May 11) during the road trip.
The Retrievers close out the regular season with four home games against Georgetown (May 16) and Stony Brook (May 19-20).
The America East Tournament will once again be held at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Mass. with every team except for UMass Lowell making the tournament. The River Hawks are in their final year of their probationary period for transitioning from Division II to Division I.
Final Thoughts on Schedule:
“Being able to get teams like Delaware and Maryland on the schedule will help us come America East Tournament time. This conference has been strong, top to bottom, and every game is a challenge. Every game is a fight and playing the early non-conference games will help us get ready for what’s to come in conference,” Mumma said in closing on the 2016 schedule.
