The Middle Tennessee baseball program will play host to 29 home games during the 2011 season as announced by head coach Steve Peterson on Wednesday.
The Blue Raiders will play seven of their first eight games at Reese Smith Jr. Field beginning with a three-game series with Portland Feb. 18-20.
“We have our traditional opponents and then we have some new ones this year. The University of Portland is one, we’ve never played them and they had a very good team last year. I know our fans aren’t familiar with them but they were coming into this area looking for games and we were able to schedule them,” Peterson said. “It will be a good opening start and then we have Tennessee Tech, Ohio Valley Champions and Jacksonville State, who I believe won the OVC tournament.”
After playing most of its games at home to begin the year, Middle Tennessee will travel to Rustin, La., for a three-game series with Louisiana Tech March 4-6 before midweek games on the road with Belmont (March 8) and Kentucky (March 9). It is the first time since 1996 Middle Tennessee has played Kentucky and the Blue Raiders won that meeting 11-2.
“We haven’t played Louisiana Tech since joining the league in 2001. We worked a home and home out where we go there this year and they come to us in 2012. They are a member of the WAC and a very good ballclub,” Peterson said. “I know it has been awhile since we played Kentucky and it was just a spot in the schedule where I needed a game and they needed a game.”
Middle Tennessee will play a two-game series with Southern Illinois March 15-16 at Reese Smith Jr. Field before hitting the road again for eight straight games including the opening of Sun Belt conference play.
With the departure of New Orleans from the Sun Belt Conference the league’s coaches decided to play an extra conference series instead of adding another non-conference weekend. Therefore each team will play their in-state or closest geographic conference opponent in two three-game series during the season. For Middle Tennessee that opponent is rival Western Kentucky. The Blue Raiders will open Sun Belt Conference action with the Hilltoppers in Bowling Green, Ky., on March 18-20. The team will also conclude the season with Western Kentucky at home on May 19-21.
“Conference play is always the highlight of the season. We are going to play the traditional conference rival twice which came about after New Orleans left the league to fill that slot and keep it at 30 games,” Peterson said.
After opening conference action with the Hilltoppers, Middle Tennessee has the week off to prepare for its series with Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, Fla. Then the team will head back to Tennessee for road games with Lipscomb and Austin Peay.
The Blue Raiders will then play host to South Alabama before heading back up I-24 to play Vanderbilt.
After its series in Little Rock, Ark., with the Trojans, Middle Tennessee will play host to five home games beginning with Vanderbilt on April 12. The team travels to Memphis for a mid-week matchup and will then play host to UL-Monroe.
Then the Blue Raiders head to Knoxville, Tenn., to face Tennessee before playing host to Belmont in the other midweek matchup. Middle Tennessee will then head to Jonesboro, Ark., to play Arkansas State.
After playing host to FIU May 6-8, the Blue Raiders will face Tennessee May 11 at Reese Smith Jr. Field in its final non-conference game. After the game with the Volunteers the team will head to Lafayette, La., to face UL-Lafayette in its final road series of the season.
“I am looking forward to it. It’s a very competitive schedule that we have year in and year out and it also depends on the product we put on the field as well,” Peterson said.
The Sun Belt Championships will be held in Monroe, La., May 25-28 with UL-Monroe serving as the host school.
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