FAIRFIELD, Conn.— SHU Baseball head coach Nick Restaino announced the 2018 schedule on Thursday. The Pioneers will have a 53-game slate this spring with 28-game Northeast Conference offering.
Sacred Heart finished the 2017 season 23-36 overall, 14-13 in the NEC. The Pioneers reached the NEC Tournament for the ninth straight season and advanced to its eighth NEC Championship game in the last nine years.
The Pioneers will play 18 home games this season in a few different venues with the closing of the Ballpark at Harbor Yard. SHU will hold its first two home series at CCSU Baseball Field in last weekend of March & first weekend in April. SHU will play the second meeting of the year against Fairfield on April 24 at Alumni Field as the home team.
SHU will then shift play to New Britain Stadium, home of the New Britain Bees of the Atlantic League for the following two NEC home series (April 27-29 & May 11-13). SHU’s home slate will wrap up in Ansonia for a one-game series against Albany on May 15.
Non-Conference Slate
- SHU opens up its first 15 games on the road, kicking things off with a weekend against Norfolk State, Stony Brook and Iona down in Norfolk, Virginia February 23-25.
- The Pioneers will spend spring break down in Louisiana with a four-team event at Alex Box Stadium (March. 2-4) highlighted with a matchup against 2017 College World Series finalist, LSU.
- After a two-game series against Nicholls State (March 6-7), SHU will close spring break with a three-game series with Kennesaw State (March 9-11) in Atlanta to close out spring break.
- A weekend in Philadelphia will follow with matchups against LaSalle, Villanova & St. Joseph’s (March 16-18).
- SHU will also spend a weekend down at the Jersey Shore with games against Maine and host Monmouth (Apr.14-15).
- The Pioneers have annual meetings with regional foes URI (March 20), Hartford (April 3), Yale (April 11), Fairfield (April 20 & 24) Army West Point (May 1) & UConn (May 8) as well to round up its non-conference schedule.
NEC Slate
- The Pioneers open up NEC play on the road against Mount St. Mary’s for a weekend series (March 23-25). Both teams will meet again in New Britain in the final weekend of April (27-29).
- The lone other home-&-home weekend series for SHU is against Wagner. The Pioneers earned a 12th inning walk off victory to reach the NEC Championship a season ago.
- The Seahawks are the Pioneers first home series in New Britain on the turf of CCSU baseball field (March 29-31). Both teams will close the 2018 regular season at Richmond County Ballpark (May 17-19).
- SHU’s four-game road NEC series this season will be at Bryant (April 20-22) after a home & home matchup last season that saw a 6-5 18-inning affair in the Pioneers favor. SHU also bested Bryant
- The other road series will be at FDU (May 4-6), the Pioneers won the series 3-1 at home last season.
First pitch for the 2018 season is 43 days out as SHU will open the year at Norfolk State on Friday, February 23 with a 3:00 p.m. start.
