FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
MOREHEAD, Ky. – Twenty-three home games, including weekend series with Ohio Valley Conference rivals Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, Southeast Missouri, SIU Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois, highlight the 2013 Morehead State baseball schedule.
The regular-season slate features 58 games against 23 teams, with non-conference matchups against programs from powerhouse conferences such as the SEC, Big 12, ACC and Big East. Eleven of the opponents participated in the NCAA tournament in 2012.
“One of the things I wanted to do this year was to upgrade the non-conference schedule, to really test ourselves in some hostile environments,” Head Coach Mike McGuire said. “By going into places like Clemson and Tennessee, it allows us an opportunity to prepare for the rigors of conference play.”
McGuire’s first campaign leading the Eagles begins on February 15-17 at the Alabama A&M Invitational. MSU is set to face the host school, Indiana State and IPFW.
The team travels to Gardner-Webb for a four-game series on February 22-24, before returning to Kentucky to take on in-state foe Louisville on February 26.
MSU is scheduled to open the home portion of the schedule on March 1 with a 10-game stretch over the first 13 days of the month. The Eagles host Ball State and Youngstown State before kicking off OVC play with a series against Murray State on March 8. The Eagles wrap up their first homestand with mid-week tilts versus Eastern Michigan on March 12-13.
The Eagles continue league play on the road on March 15-17, taking on Tennessee Tech for a three-game series, before heading to Clemson for midweek matchups on March 19-20.
Southeast Missouri comes to Morehead for an OVC weekend series beginning March 22. The Eagles then hit the road again for a single game at Northern Kentucky on March 26 before taking on new OVC member Belmont in a weekend series in Nashville on March 28-30.
Following a midweek home game with Campbellsville on April 3, the Eagles entertain OVC rival Eastern Kentucky for a weekend series on April 5-7.
The team embarks on a two-week road swing in the middle of the month, beginning with a four-game series at Illinois State, April 12-14. That’s followed by a midweek trip to Charleston, W. Va., for a matchup with West Virginia on April 16. The Eagles wrap up the road stretch with a weekend series at UT Martin on April 19-21 and a single contest at Ohio University on April 23.
MSU returns home on April 26-28 for a weekend series with SIU Edwardsville. The following weekend, the Eagles travel to Austin Peay for a trio of conference battles.
The Eagles’ final homestand is set for May 10-12, when they host OVC foe Eastern Illinois for a three-game tilt. MSU finishes up the regular season on the road with a May 14 battle at Tennessee and an OVC series at Jacksonville State, May 16-18.
The OVC Tournament is slated to be held May 22-26, in Jackson, Tenn. The top six teams during regular season play will compete for the title.
“It will always be a goal of mine to make it into NCAA regional play,” McGuire said. “I think playing a tough schedule such as this prepares us for that possibility.”
