WEST HARTFORD, CONN.- The University of Hartford baseball team will play 19 home games as part of their 2018 schedule, announced by head baseball coach Justin Blood.
“We have a very challenging schedule ahead of us in 2018.” Blood said. “I’m excited for our student-athletes to compete against programs with differing playing styles and at the same time experience different areas of the country.”
The Hawks will be looking to make a deep run and claim their first America East Championship this year. Hartford’s 2018 schedule will feature in-conference home series against Maine (March 24-25), followed by Binghamton (April 14-15), UMass Lowell (April 28-29), and last year’s America East Champion UMBC (May 5-6). The Hawks will also have conference road series against UMBC (March 17-18), UAlbany (April 7-8), and Stony Brook (May 5-6) before closing out the regular season in Maine (May 18-19).
A four-game set at Oregon State, which was the top ranked team in the nation for much of last season, highlights Hartford’s non-conference slate. The Beavers posted 56 wins en-route to an appearance in the College World Series, where they were one game away from the championship series.
The Hawks will open the 2018 campaign with 16 consecutive road games, beginning with a three-game trip to South Alabama (Feb. 23-25). The Jaguars join the Flyers of Dayton as first-time opponents on the Hawks schedule. Additionally, Hartford will travel to Central Connecticut (March 7), Wright State (March 11), Northeastern (March 13), and Bryant (March 21) in their season-opening road trip.
The Hawks will also face in-state rivals Yale, UConn, Sacred Heart, Fairfield and Quinnipiac in non-conference play, as well as regional foes Brown, Marist, and Rhode Island. Additionally, Hartford will travel to Elon, N.C., to take on qCAA contender Elon in a three-game set (April 20-22).
The America East Tournament will be held at Maine’s Mahaney Diamond May 23-26. It will be the first baseball championship in Orono since 2004. Last season, UMBC claimed its first America East baseball title, after Binghamton took three of the previous four championships leading into the 2017 campaign.
