TicketsNov. 21, 2007
CINCINNATI---A season-opening trip to national power Miami (Fla.) and a record 34 home games highlight a busy 2008 schedule for the University of Cincinnati baseball team. With the schedule across all of college baseball shortened by two weeks, the Bearcats will still play a 56-game slate with additional midweek games and doubleheaders on the already busy docket.
Three NCAA Tournament qualifiers from the 2007 season dot UC's schedule, including College World Series participant Louisville. Cincinnati will host one of the qualifiers in BIG EAST power Rutgers, while traveling to Louisville and Miami (Fla.). The home schedule calls for visits from many traditional rivals, five BIG EAST home weekends and a 17-game homestand near the beginning of the calendar.
"With the new universal start to the baseball season, we are pleased to be adding even more home games to our schedule than we have in the past," UC head coach Brian Cleary said. "Fans will get to enjoy visits from many of our regional rivals, along with some of the top teams in the BIG EAST including USF, Rutgers and West Virginia. We've seen that each year in the BIG EAST is a grind and we expect no different this year. Our hope is that we have put together a solid schedule that will prepare us to compete for a BIG EAST championship."
The season gets underway at Miami (Fla.), a four-time College World Series Champion, Feb. 22-24. In previous years, the Bearcats would open the year with at least three straight weeks of away games, but that will not be the case this year. After the trip to Coral Gables, UC will play 17 in-a-row at Marge Schott Stadium against the likes of Chicago State, Marshall, Cleveland State, Bowling Green, Niagara, USF and Toledo.
Cincinnati's BIG EAST home opponents for the 2008 season include USF (March 21-22), Pittsburgh (April 11-13), Georgetown (April 18-20), Rutgers (May 2-4) and West Virginia (May 15-17). Local rivalries against Miami (Ohio), Xavier, Kentucky and Wright State will also be renewed on the Marge Schott Stadium turf.
Because of the structure of the BIG EAST, the Bearcats have missed two league opponents each year. This year's skipped teams will be St. John's, which qualified for NCAA Tournament play last year, and Villanova. An old face will return to the UC schedule as the Bearcats will battle Big Ten member Indiana for the first time since 1998.
Season tickets for all the action at Marge Schott Stadium are reasonably priced at $20 for adults and $10 for UCATS members, senior citizens, youth 12 and under and UC faculty and staff and are available by calling the UC Ticket Office at 1-877-CATS-TIX or by logging on to CATSTIX.com.