FROM PRESS RELEASE
Since the moment notice came down from the NCAA on March 12 that the spring 2020 college athletics season was over, Stetson baseball fans have been anxiously awaiting word on when the Hatters would be able to return to action at Melching Field.
The Hatters, and their fans, now have a date and an opponent to look forward to. Stetson will open the 2021 season the weekend of February 19-21 with a four-game series against in-state foe Florida A&M. It will be the first time for the Hatter and Rattlers to square off since the 2014 season.
That weekend series will start a season unlike any other as the Hatters are scheduled to play 43 of their 55 games against teams from the Sunshine State. Only games with North Alabama, Alabama, Wichita State, Liberty and Kennesaw State will be against teams from outside Florida.
“Every year you want to be able to play some games where you know you should be able to get some wins, but you also want to play enough good teams to help your RPI,” Hatters coach Steve Trimper said. “We have always looked at the schedule with getting to 40 wins in mind. With this schedule, 34 wins might be enough to get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“There are no creampuffs on this schedule.”
As part of the restructured ASUN Conference schedule for 2021, the Hatters will play in-state league rivals Jacksonville, North Florida and FGCU seven times each in conference play, with only two games against Liberty and one against Kennesaw State joining those as part of the ASUN slate. Stetson will also host
conference foe North Alabama the weekend of February 26-28 for a four-game non-conference series.
The ASUN championship tournament will also take on a new look this spring, with the four Florida teams matching up the weekend May 21-23 for a pair of best two-of-three Divisional Play-In Series. The same will happen with the top four teams from the rest of the league. The four Divisional Play-In Series winners will then meet in Jacksonville May 27-29
to play for the ASUN title and automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
In addition to the ASUN slate, the Hatters will play UCF twice, South Florida and FIU five times each and Florida four times. Stetson will also make a trip to Tallahassee to play Florida State and Florida A&M on consecutive days.
The one big road trip for the Hatters will be to Tuscaloosa to play Alabama on the weekend of March 12-14. Stetson and the Crimson Tide have squared off just three times in the past – a pair of games in DeLand in 1950 and a single game in Tuscaloosa in the 1996 NCAA Regional. Alabama has a 2-1 series lead.
Traditional mid-west power Wichita State will come to DeLand the weekend of March 19-21 for a weekend round-robin event with the Hatters and FIU. It will be the first time Stetson has ever faced the Shockers.
Stetson will also host an ASUN round-robin event the weekend of April 16-18 with all of the league’s Florida schools coming together at Melching Field for a six-game league showdown, with each team playing the others one time.
The Hatters will close the home portion of the regular season on May 11 with the likely preseason No. 1 team in the country, Florida. Stetson will then travel to Kennesaw for the final weekend where the Hatters will face Liberty twice and the Owls one time during that weekend series.
“I am looking forward to getting this season going,” Trimper said. “We are all certainly excited to get this season started. My hope is that we can reach the point with this pandemic that we are able to have fans at our games because I think people are going to want to see this team.
“I believe we are going to have a really good team, and I am sure our fans are itching to see some live events. If we are allowed, I think we will be able to set some attendance records this spring. I can’t wait to get started.”
2021 Stetson Baseball Schedule
