DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University baseball program has announced its 2018 schedule, which contains 53 total games and 31 home contests.
NCCU will begin the season by playing 11 of its first 13 games at home, and one of those two road games will still be within Durham, against Duke at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
“We have put together a schedule that is going to both challenge and prepare us for conference play,” head coach Jim Koerner said. “We have added several new opponents, including our season-opening weekend against Wagner University. We head to Washington, D.C. mid-season to play a tough George Washington team that will help keep us sharp heading into the second half of conference play.”
“We have also added Atlantic-10 Conference champion and NCAA Super Regional participant Davidson to the schedule,” Koerner added. “They had a remarkable run last year and will provide a tough challenge for our team. We again look forward to our home-and-home matchup with Duke as well as our Big South opponents. Overall, the opportunities that this schedule presents will assist us in improving on a daily basis, and with our goal of winning the MEAC Championship.”
The Eagles open the season at home with a traditional three-game, three-day series with Wagner beginning on Friday, Feb. 16 at 3:00 p.m. at the Durham Athletic Park. The following weekend, the Eagles will again have another three-day series with NJIT beginning on Feb. 23, and after that another three-day weekend series with Iona that starts on March 2.
NCCU begins Southern Division Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play on Saturday, March 10 with a doubleheader with North Carolina A&T on the road in Greensboro. The Eagles’ first home divisional series will begin on Saturday, March 17 with a doubleheader against Bethune-Cookman. NCCU’s regular rivalry series with North Carolina A&T will come to Durham with a series beginning on Saturday, April 14.
Of note, the Eagles will play George Washington for the first time in program history during a three-game series starting April 6 on the road in Arlington, Virginia. NCCU also meets Davidson for the first time since 2013 with a home-and-home series, culminating at the DAP on May 8.
