WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army baseball head coach Matt Reid announced the Black Knights’ 2014 schedule on Friday. Army finished last season as the Patriot League’s regular season co-champions and advanced to the postseason for the eighth consecutive season.
The Black Knights won 33 games in 2014 and posted a 15-5 Patriot League record in their first season under Reid.
“We have a number of games to look forward to on this year’s schedule,” Reid stated. “Our annual spring break trip, participating the Hudson Valley Baseball Classic and our always competitive Patriot League schedule.” Our players are excited for the spring.”
Army opens its 2015 campaign in South Carolina with three games against Xavier, Dayton and USC-Upstate on Feb. 13, 14 and 15. The Black Knights’ first 17 games are set to be played south of the Mason-Dixon Line in February and early March.
The following weekend (Feb. 20-22) Army will play three games in Davidson, N.C., two against Niagara and a matchup with the host Wildcats sandwiched in between. A three-game set with Longwood begins with a twinbill on Feb. 28 and ends with a single game as the calendar turns to March.
On the first full weekend in March (6-8), Army will play three games against Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Md., and two more versus Coppin State. Friday the Black Knights will challenge the host Mountaineers in a 3 p.m. start and Saturday and Sunday will feature doubleheaders with one game against each opponent.
Army’s annual spring break trip to Florida will last a week (March 14-21) with nine games scheduled between Tampa and Coral Gables. The Black, Gold and Gray will play a pair of doubleheaders against UMass to begin the trip on the weekend, a Tuesday game at Miami and four games opposite Harvard to close the trip. Following the team’s trip to Florida, the Black Knights return to West Point for their home opener versus Columbia on March 25 at 3:30 p.m.
Army then opens Patriot League play with three road weekend series matchups against conference rivals Lehigh (March 28-29), Lafayette (April 4-5) and Bucknell (April 11-12). The final two Patriot League weekends will be hosted by Army at Doubleday Field versus Holy Cross (April 18-19) and Navy (April 25-26). Midweek games versus Siena (March 31), Manhattan (April 7, April 14) and New York Tech (April 15) will serve as non-conference tests for Black Knights. Army will also play Marist at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, N.Y., in the 10th Annual Hudson Valley Baseball Classic on April 29.
A three-game series with service academy rival Air Force closes the regular season schedule for the Black Knights. The series opener will be played under the lights at Doubleday Field on May 1 at 7 p.m. prior to afternoon games on Saturday and Sunday.
The 2015 Patriot League Tournament will be played over two weekends, with the semifinals scheduled for May 9-10 and the championship series slated for May 16-17. The top four seeds will qualify for the postseason tournament and games will be played at the home field of the highest seed. Both rounds will follow the best-of-three format and the winner will earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Army returns 21 lettermen from last season’s team, including three All-Patriot League selections in shortstop Alex Jensen, third baseman Harold Earls, and designated hitter Mark McCants.
