FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Cal Poly’s 2011 baseball schedule, released Thursday by head coach Larry Lee and director of athletics Alison Cone, features 14 games against 2010 NCAA playoff teams, five against Pac-10 schools and out-of-region trips to Oklahoma State and Minnesota for three-game series.
Lee opens his ninth season at the helm of the Mustang baseball program by competing in a tournament hosted by Southern California, playing North Carolina on Feb. 18, Missouri on Feb. 19 and the host Trojans on Feb. 20.
Cal Poly will play its first Big 12 opponent since 2003 when it visits Oklahoma State for a three-game series Feb. 25-27 and also will play its first Big 10 foe since 2003 when the Mustangs play at Minnesota on March 25-27.
Cal Poly played Nebraska (Big 12) and Penn State (Big 10) in 2003.
“The 2011 schedule could be as challenging as ever, especially early on with games against some of the better teams in the country,” said Lee. “We play five games against Pac-10 teams, several top-25 teams and a lot of potential regional teams.
“ I am looking forward to playing this quality kind of schedule, which allows us to play some teams we haven’t been able to play before,” Lee added.
After playing their first seven games on the road, the Mustangs open the home portion of their 2011 schedule March 4-6 with a three-game series against Valparaiso, followed by a four-game set against Loyola Marymount on March 11-13 and a three-game series against 2010 national runner-up UCLA on March 19-21.
The Mustangs will host UC Riverside, Cal State Northridge, Cal State Fullerton and UC Davis for Big West Conference series in April and May, closing out the regular season with a seven-game road trip — three games at Pacific, one at Stanford and three at Cal State Bakersfield.
Cal Poly plays 26 of its 56 games at home and will play 10 midweek games, including home-and-home contests against 2008 national champion Fresno State, Pepperdine, Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s. The mid-week game at Stanford on May 24 marks the first time the two teams have met since 2004.
UCLA, Stanford, UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton, Minnesota and North Carolina all competed in the 2010 NCAA playoffs — Cal State Fullerton advancing to a Super Regional and UCLA to the College World Series.
Cal Poly won 13 of its final 18 games a year ago to close out a 23-32 campaign. Lee is now 246-207-2 overall in eight seasons at the helm of the Mustang baseball program, with six finishes in the upper half of the Big West standings.
