Fresno State Athletics
Home Series With Pepperdine, Stanford Highlight 2006 Baseball Schedule
9/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Sept. 22, 2005
Fresno, Calif. -
2006 Fresno State Baseball Schedule
Facing some of California's best competition in home series, an early road swing and eight series against a new-look WAC anchor the 2006 Baseball slate. Fresno State opens with two series on the road, as the team travels to 2005 opponents Cal Poly and UCLA. The Beiden Field opener is the next week, as Fresno State plays 2005 NCAA Tournament team Pepperdine, and plays Stanford two weeks later in a home series.
The 2006 campaign will kick off with the annual Alumni Match, which will be held at noon on January 21. The team will then travel to Cal Poly and UCLA before opening at home against the Waves on February 10. The Bulldogs have three other non-conference opponents in a 25-game homestand. The Bulldogs host Utah Valley State and Portland in three-game series at Beiden Field. The squad will also have three games against 2005 Pepsi/Johnny Quik participant San Francisco, the only mid-week games on the schedule, playing the Dons on Wednesday, March 1 before playing again on two consecutive days on March 7 and 8.
Also in March the team will host the 28th Annual Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic from March 13-18. Again living up to its reputation as a nation-wide gathering, the tournament will bring seven teams from all over the country. The teams participating in the tournament this year from the east are Binghamton, Bucknell, Lafayettte (PA), Miami (Oh), Savannah State as well as western teams Washington State and 2005 participant Gonzaga. The Bulldogs will also play Bucknell in a single contest prior to the start of the tournament.
"We've created another difficult schedule this year," said head coach Mike Batesole. "Playing the first six games in the road will be a challenge, as will facing two great programs like Pepperdine and Stanford. Those games, along with the Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic should give us ample preparation for WAC play in the new format."
The WAC has made several changes in play for the 2006 baseball season. While losing perennial power Rice, the league welcomes New Mexico State as well as affiliate member Sacramento State, giving the league seven teams instead of six. Because of the new balance, each team plays eight series, instead of the ten that were played in the old format. The WAC will also hold a post-season tournament for the first time since 1999, with the site to be determined later this year. The tournament will be held from May 25-28, and will determine the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, which begins on June 2.
