BOSTON – Northeastern baseball head coach Mike Glavine proudly unveiled on Monday the dates and opponents that comprise the Huskies’ 2018 season schedule, outlining the path NU will take towards the defense of its 2017 CAA regular-season championship.
Highlighted by multi-game road series at Auburn (March 9-11) and Texas Tech (March 23-25), the Huskies’ 2018 schedule features 13 games against four teams from last year’s NCAA tournament field, 13 games against New England opposition, and a competitive, 24-game run through the CAA.
Challenges are undoubtedly in store at every corner of Northeastern’s 2018 slate, as 28 of the Huskies’ 54 scheduled games will take place against Division I programs that ranked higher than NU in 2017 RPI rankings (No. 164).
Northeastern will begin its 98th season in program history with an 11-game, multi-week stay in southern Florida. The Huskies will kick off the year with consecutive, neutral-site series in Fort Myers against Creighton (Feb. 16-18) and Missouri (Feb. 23-25) before relocating to Port Charlotte to contest four non-conference games at the 2018 Snowbird Classic against Mount Saint Mary’s (March 2), Dartmouth (March 3), Villanova (March 4), and Georgetown (March 6).
Upon concluding its participation at the Snowbird Classic, Northeastern will head to Auburn, where the Huskies will face their second SEC opponent in three weeks by staging three games as the visiting team at Plainsman Park (March 9-11). The series will also mark the first of three consecutive weekends in March when NU will be pitted against NCAA regional teams from a year ago.
Northeastern will make its New England debut on Tuesday, March 13, when the Huskies head to Hartford’s Fiondella Field for a midweek matchup against the Hawks.
After beginning the year with 15 games away from its Brookline residence, Northeastern will open its 2018 home calendar with a Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17) doubleheader at Friedman Diamond against Holy Cross – the start of a two-day, home-and-home series against the Crusaders. The two programs will wrap up their three-game set at Holy Cross on Sunday, March 18.
NU will swing back to Friedman Diamond on Tuesday, March 20, to host its crosstown foe, Boston College.
Returning to the road, Northeastern will begin a nine-game stretch away from Brookline on Friday, March 23, when the Huskies descend on Texas Tech to begin a four-game series against the Red Raiders, featuring a Saturday, March 24, doubleheader. From there, NU will head to Rhode Island on Tuesday, March 28, prior to starting CAA play with a three-game league set at James Madison (March 30-April 1).
Northeastern will travel to Massachusetts on Tuesday, April 3, for the opening round of the 29th annual Beanpot tournament, opposite the Boston College-Harvard semifinal. The final round of the Beanpot will take place on Tuesday, April 10, and feature all four teams at a location yet to be determined, with the consolation game preceding the championship game.
Between the Beanpot rounds, Northeastern will host Elon (April 6-8) – the first of four home CAA series on the docket for the Huskies. NU will then step away from Friedman Diamond to visit College of Charleston (April 13-15) and Harvard (April 17) before beginning an eight-game home stand, featuring William & Mary (April 20-22), Towson (April 27-29), UMass Lowell (May 1), and Bryant (May 2).
Turning towards the home stretch, Northeastern will travel to Hofstra (May 4-6) prior to closing out its home schedule with a midweek showdown against Connecticut (May 9) followed by a three-game series against UNCW (May 11-13). NU will then play the final week of the regular season on the road at Delaware (May 17-19), the defending CAA postseason champion.
Northeastern will await qualification to the CAA tournament (top six teams advance), to be held from Wednesday, May 23, to Saturday, May 26, at James Madison’s Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park (Harrisonburg, Virginia).
All tickets to home games at Friedman Diamond in Brookline, Massachusetts, are free. All times listed on the Huskies’ 2018 schedule are Eastern and subject to change.
