ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend baseball team officially released its schedule for the upcoming 2022 season.
"We are excited about competing across a full season this spring," said Behrend head coach Paul Benim, who is set to begin his 27th season. The schedule will begin with 10 games on the road in Virginia and Florida before opening the first of 14 home games in late March."
The Behrend Lions open the spring slate at Eastern Mennonite on February 26. The following weekend, the Lions will travel to Fort Pierce, Florida for spring training. Behrend will play eight varsity games and three JV games. "It is the second best week of the year, after the postseason," said Benim. "The entire roster will see opportunities to battle between the lines and that should serve us well in conference play up north."
Senior Jake Deitz (Erie, PA/McDowell) shared, "I am super excited for the season. I am looking forward to building on what was accomplished last year. Getting the opportunity to head back to Florida is exciting. It's a great week of baseball and being with teammates. Once we come back north, we know how the schedule can be a grind and we are going to embrace it."
The home schedule features nine dates of play. The Behrend Lions will play conference opponents Alfred State, Penn State Altoona, Pitt-Bradford, and Pitt-Greensburg. Behrend will also play regional opponents in games that include Allegheny, Fredonia, Hiram, Thiel and Westminster.
The road will provide league opponents at Hilbert, La Roche, Medaille, and Mount Aloysius. In addition, non-league games will be played in NY, OH, and PA.
"The 2021 season was one that we will never forget, but we are now looking forward to the 2022 season," said senior Thomas Zbezinski (Gibsonia, PA/Pine-Richland). "Everyone is excited for the opportunities ahead, and we understand that nothing is given. We now have the targets on our back, and we look forward to working towards being AMCC champions again."
Last year, the Behrend Lions won the AMCC Championships and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time. Behrend posted a 2-2 record in the Marietta regional while playing nationally and regionally ranked teams in all four contests.
The first round of the AMCC Tournament will be on May 7, followed by the second-round double elimination tournament hosted by the regular-season champion May 12-15.
The program has racked up more than 660 wins under the direction of Coach Benim. Last season, the team posted a 27-13 mark and will be working towards playing in a 16th AMCC Championship.
