TicketsNov. 22, 2006
CINCINNATI, Ohio---The University of Cincinnati baseball team will tackle another challenging schedule during the 2007 season. Head coach Brian Cleary's troops will face three NCAA Tournament participants, along with battling the rigors of their second BIG EAST campaign.
The Bearcats' 2007 docket features 28 home games at Marge Schott Stadium and another 28 games on the road. The home schedule will be exciting, yet challenging as three of the BIG EAST's top teams, along with several local and regional rivals visiting. The high point of the home slate comes April 5-7, when defending BIG EAST champion and perennial national power Notre Dame comes to town.
"We are looking forward to our second trip through the BIG EAST and to the non-conference schedule," Cleary said. "I especially look forward, as I think do our fans, to the opportunity to host Notre Dame, Louisville, Connecticut and Villanova in BIG EAST play and to our series with Xavier."
In addition to the series with Notre Dame, Cincinnati will host Louisville in a potential season-ending showdown May 17-19. Connecticut, another of the BIG EAST frontrunners in 2006, visits April 20-22.
The non-conference home schedule features local rivals Xavier (April 11) and Miami (May 9), along with Wright State (March 28), who advanced to NCAA regional play after winning the Horizon League Tournament. The home opener is set for March 3-4 against Dartmouth of the Ivy League.
Cincinnati will open the campaign Feb. 9-11 with a trip to Florida Atlantic in Cleary's hometown of Boca Raton, Fla. UC renews its annual rivalry with 2006 NCAA participant Kentucky on March 7, while also making trips to Xavier (March 20), Dayton (April 3) and Miami (May 16).
On the road in the BIG EAST, Cincinnati will face tough trips to league frontrunners Pittsburgh (March 23-25), West Virginia (April 13-15), Rutgers (May 5-6) and St. John's (May 11-13). With 12 BIG EAST baseball schools and just nine weekends of play, UC will not face Seton Hall or USF in 2007.
After facing 11 new opponents last year, Cincinnati will take on just two first time foes in 2007 with match-ups against Central Arkansas and Dartmouth. Collectively, the Bearcats' 2007 opponents combined for three NCAA Tournament appearances, a pair conference championships and an overall record of 692-661 (.511).
The Bearcats will also be attempting to qualify for the BIG EAST Championship for the second straight year. The eight-team event, scheduled for May 22-27 will be played at a venue to be announced.