KINGSTON, R.I. – Rhode Island baseball head coach Raphael Cerrato has announced the team’s 2020 schedule, which includes nine games against opponents ranked in Collegiate Baseball’s preseason poll. Highlighting the Rams’ upcoming slate are two games at #18 Arizona, two versus #38 Central Michigan, a three-game set at #36 East Carolina and a home-and-home series with #34 UConn.
With wins over nationally-ranked programs in nine of the last 11 seasons, the Rams have become known for challenging themselves early on, and the 2020 season will be no different. Overall, Rhody will face five teams that appeared in the 2019 NCAA Tournament and play 18 games against opponents that finished in the top-100 in RPI.
“Our strength of schedule definitely helps prepare us for conference play and our goal is to win the conference,” Cerrato said. “But on top of that, we want to prepare our guys for Regionals, Super Regionals and Omaha. In order to get there, we need to continue to play the programs that go there.”
The Rams will play their first 17 games on the road, opening the season with a series at Lamar (Feb. 14-16) and then traveling Maryland, for three games against the Terrapins (Feb. 21-23).
Next is a trip west to Arizona, for four games at the Wildcats’ Hi Corbett Field. There, URI will take on Central Michigan (Feb. 28 and 29) and Arizona (Feb. 29, March 1) twice each.
From there, it’s back-to-back weekends in “The First State” as Rhody will play three at Delaware State (March 7-8) and four at Delaware (March 13-15).
The Rams will then return to Kingston for their home opener against Sacred Heart on March 18.
URI opens Atlantic 10 play on the road, at Saint Joseph’s (March 20-22). The Rams will also play conference series at defending A-10 champion Fordham (March 27-29), Massachusetts (April 17-19) and St. Bonaventure (May 8-10), while hosting Dayton (April 3-5), La Salle (April 10-12), George Washington (May 1-3) and 2019 regular season champion VCU (May 14-16).
“The A-10 is always challenging and we have some tough series this year,” Cerrato said. “Our goal is win every series and win another conference championship. I think we have the talent and leadership to do that.”
During their A-10 bye week, the Rams will travel to East Carolina for three games (April 24-26) against the Pirates, who hosted and won their NCAA Regional a year ago.
“East Carolina had the same bye-weekend as us, so getting them on the schedule was a no-brainer,” Cerrato added. “That will be a great series and a good challenge late in the season. We hope to be playing some of our baseball at that time of year, and in a good position for postseason play.”
Additionally, the Rams will host midweek games against Quinnipiac (March 24), Northeastern (March 25), UMass Lowell (March 31), Bryant (April 1), Brown (April 7), Hartford (April 15) and Connecticut (May 12), while traveling to take on Holy Cross (April 8), Bryant (April 14), UConn (April 21) and Boston College (April 28).
The 2020 Atlantic 10 Tournament – which features the top seven teams in the conference – will be hosted by VCU, in Richmond, Va., May 20-23.
