PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — First-year head coach Charlie Goens will face plenty of challenges over the 2017 season, as the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks play 52 contests, starting in February and ending in May. The Shore will host 19 of these games at Hawks Stadium in Princess Anne.
“We are excited about our 2017 schedule.” Goens said. “We embrace the opportunity for our student-athletes to play against great competition. I feel this schedule is going to challenge our young men and help prepare us for a run at a MEAC championship.”
The season begins on Feb. 17 with a trip to Macon, Georgia to face the Mercer Bears in a three-game series–the first meeting between the two teams. Highlights in the early part of the season beyond the opening series includes two trips to Greensboro and the Hawks’ home opener March 11 and 12 against Iona.
Conference play begins the following Friday in Baltimore, when the Hawks face the Eagles of Coppin State for three games beginning March 18. Following a spring break trip to North Carolina, Maryland Eastern Shore returns home for the next three MEAC weekends. Norfolk State comes to The Shore on March 25-26 and Delaware State faces the Hawks April 1-2. Another three games with Coppin will take place April 8-9.
After the three MEAC weekends at home, the Hawks host one more midweek matchup on April 12 against Navy before playing 13 of the next 14 contests on the road. Beginning in Norfolk and ending in Pittsburgh, The Shore will also make stops in Dover and Baltimore. The Hawks finally return home May 6 to wrap up MEAC play against Norfolk State.
For the third straight year, Maryland Eastern Shore will host the 2016 MEAC Baseball Championship. The four-day tournament begins May 18 at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland.
The Hawks finished out the 2015-16 campaign with a 16-32 mark to earn the most victories over a two year span since the 1994 and 1995 seasons.
