ERIE, Pa. - The Penn State Behrend baseball team has officially released its schedule for the upcoming 2019 season.
"Our program is excited about facing the challenge of the spring 2019 schedule," said Behrend head coach Paul Benim, who is set to begin his 24th season. The schedule will begin with ten games on the road in North Carolina and Florida before opening the first of 12 home games in late March.
The blue and white will open 2019 at the Methodist University Tournament on February 23 and 24 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Behrend begins the year with a single-nine against vs. Lynchburg (VA) at 11:00 a.m. before battling the hosts at 2:00 p.m. Then on Sunday Behrend is slated to play Rutgers-Camden at 11:00 a.m. The following weekend, the Behrend Lions will make the annual trip to Fort Pierce, Florida for Spring Training. Behrend will play eight games and three additional JV games. "It is a terrific baseball week," said Benim. "Our entire roster will get opportunities to compete and that should improve our conference play up north."
The home schedule features nine dates of action. The Behrend Lions will play conference opponents La Roche, Medaille, Bradford and Altoona. They'll also host non-conference regional opponents in single games that include Allegheny, Thiel, Fredonia and Mt. Union.
The road will feature Behrend facing five league opponents in doubleheader action as well as trips to Allegheny, Fredonia, Muskingum, and Waynesburg.
"Our coaching staff believes in the mix of returning players, and we are excited about the potential upside of the incoming freshmen," said Benim. "There is always work to do, but the goal is to put ourselves in position to play our best baseball of the year in May and to compete for another league title."
Senior veteran pitcher Phil Myers, added, "The 2019 season is going to be more challenging than ever, but I feel like the group of guys we have are more than ready to compete day in and day out for a championship. We all have been putting in the work to make sure we are ready for the demanding schedule and tough opponents, and as a senior I couldn't be more proud of the team as a whole."
The first round of the AMCC Championship will be on May 4, followed by the second-round double elimination tournament hosted by the regular-season champion May 9-11.
Senior outfielder Ian Taylor also commented on the upcoming season, "I am really excited to see what our team can do this year. If we stay focused and play it one game, one inning and one pitch at a time, I know we have the talent and potential to do some great things."
The program has complied more than 600 wins under the direction of Benim including six 30-plus win seasons since 2008. Last year, the blue and white posted a 25-17 mark and will strive to play in a fourteenth AMCC final.