MOBILE, Ala. ? South Alabama baseball head coach Steve Kittrell unveiled the Jags’ 2009 baseball schedule Tuesday. The 54-game regular season schedule features 27 games at Stanky Field.
The Jags play 13 games against teams that participated in the 2008 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, as well as 11 games against teams that were estimated to have finished 2008 in the RPI top-50.
“It’s going to be a very challenging schedule, and one we look forward to playing,” Kittrell said. “No one can ever accuse us of playing a weak schedule at South Alabama.”
USA begins the 2009 campaign by hosting the 19th-annual Coca-Cola Classic Feb. 20-22. The Jags’ open the tournament against Mercer on Friday, Feb. 20, before taking on Liberty twice the next day. Only the nightcap against Liberty will count as part of the Coca-Cola Classic.
The Jags wrap up the tournament against Ole Miss, the first of eight games South Alabama plays against Southeastern Conference opponents in 2009.
“The SEC flavor appeals to the fans, and it makes our schedule extremely challenging,” Kittrell said. “We’re going to have our work cut out for us, so we’re going to have to come ready to play every day.”
A midweek road trip through the state of Mississippi has the Jags taking on Mississippi State and Southern Miss. USA then departs for DeLand, Fla. to play in the Bright House Invitational the following weekend, where they’ll take on Southern Illinois, Iowa and tournament-host Stetson.
The following weekend, USA makes an even longer trip, this time to Waco, Texas to play in the fourth-annual QTI Baylor Classic. In that tournament, USA takes on a pair of teams with recent College World Series experience.
South Alabama opens with Baylor, who went to the 2005 College World Series, then takes on UAB, before closing with 2007 College World Series participant, UC-Irvine.
“We’re going to see a lot of good teams in non-conference play,” Kittrell said. “We’ve got a very good schedule leading up to conference, and that should help get us prepared.”
The Jags then head back home for a pair of midweek games against Memphis before opening the Sun Belt Conference season on the road at Western Kentucky. Following that series, the Jags make a stop in Nashville, Tenn. to take on Vanderbilt, before returning home for five straight, including a midweek tilt with Mississippi State.
USA travels for additional conference road series with Arkansas State, Florida-Atlantic, Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe. The Jags host New Orleans, UALR, Middle Tennessee, Florida International and Troy in conference home series.
“The thing we’ve got to focus on this year is the conference schedule,” Kittrell said. “We’ve actually done better outside of conference than in conference the last two years, and that’s been a little disappointing. We’re focused on getting back to trying to win the Sun Belt Conference title.”
In addition to the 30-game conference slate, USA also plays Auburn and Alabama in midweek home-and-home series. 2009 will be the first time since 1984 that the Jags play home and road games with both Alabama and Auburn.
Kittrell’s club closes with seven straight at home before heading to Troy, Ala. for the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship, May 20-23.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
