Rutgers Baseball Unveils 2009 Schedule
Oct 09 | Baseball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers head baseball coach Fred Hill has announced the program's 2009 schedule. The Scarlet Knights will face a challenging 56-game slate which features five participates in last season's NCAA Championship.
"We have assembled another strong schedule for 2009," said Hill. "The early-season portion will serve as a strong test for our club and help prepare us for a strong BIG EAST Conference. Our team will be challenged day in and day out."
Continuing a long-standing tradition by Hill's club, the Scarlet Knights will play a strong early-season schedule against several traditional baseball powerhouses down south as 22 of their first 23 games are away from Piscataway to open the 2009 campaign.
Rutgers will test itself right off the bat with a four-game series against 2008 College World Series participant Miami in Coral Gables, Fla. The Scarlet Knights and Hurricanes will open the three-day series with a single game Friday, Feb. 20 and play a double-header on Saturday, Feb. 21 before closing the four-game set on Sunday, Feb. 22.
A return trip south to Atlanta, Ga. will greet the Scarlet Knights the following weekend with an always-entertaining three-game series at 20080 NCAA Championship participant Georgia Tech Feb. 27-March 1.
The third weekend of the schedule finds Rutgers back down south, this time in Virginia for a three-game series with Old Dominion March 6-8.
The Scarlet Knights will make their first trip to Temple since 1995 when RU was a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference as Rutgers travels to Philadelphia March 10 to close its 11-game season-opening road swing.
The 2009 home opener will be one day later as New Jersey Institute of Technology comes to Bainton Field March 11.
Following its home opener, Rutgers will hit the road again, traveling back to the Sunshine State for nine games in 10 days as part of its spring break trip. The Scarlet Knights will open play with a four-game series against Penn State in the first meeting between the two schools since 2000. All four games will be played on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla. March 13-15.
RU will return to FAU Stadium two days later to play a pair of midweek contests against the host Owls.
The Scarlet Knights will remain in Florida for their second-straight weekend as they close out their spring break trip and open up their BIG EAST slate in Tampa with a three-game series against USF.
RU will return to New Jersey where it will play two more road games against Princeton and 2008 NCAA Tournament participant Rider March 24 and 25, respectively.
Rutgers will play the first five weekend series at Bainton Field of 2009, March 27-29 as Cincinnati comes to Piscataway.
Four road games in the state of New York follow, including a single game at Wagner and a three-game series in Queens against St. John's. The Red Storm and Louisville round out the NCAA Tournament participants from a year ago on the 2009 slate.
Empire State foe Columbia will travel to Piscataway Tuesday, April 7 before a three-game series with Connecticut at Bainton Field April 10-12 as the Huskies return to the schedule following a one-year hiatus.
Midweek games against Fordham (away) and Iona (home) will precede Louisville's first ever trip to Rutgers April 17-19. The Scarlet Knights have played six games in Louisville since the Cardinals joined the BIG EAST for the 2006 season.
Four games in the state of Pennsylvania follow with a midweek game at Lafayette and a three-game series in Pittsburgh April 25-26, which includes a Saturday double-header.
RU closes out the month of April with home games against Delaware (28) and Monmouth (29).
The Scarlet Knights will begin the month of May in Morgantown, W. Va. where they haven't been since the 2005 season. RU and WVU will play a three-game series May 1-3.
A May 5 contest at Delaware will serve as the final road game of the regular season.
The Scarlet Knights will play the final seven games of the regular season at Bainton Field. RU will play a single game against FDU on May 6 before welcoming Seton Hall (9-10 with a double-header on the 9th) and Georgetown (14-16) on consecutive weekends.
The BIG EAST Championship returns to Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla. May 19-23.
The 2009 Rutgers season will mark the 26th under the helm of Hill, who enters the year 42 wins shy of 1,000 for his 32-year collegiate coaching career.
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | TIME/RESULT |
| Friday, February 20 | Miami | Miami, Fla. | TBA |
| Saturday, February 21 | Miami (DH) | Miami, Fla. | TBA |
| Sunday, February 22 | Miami | Miami, Fla. | TBA |
| Friday, February 27 | Georgia Tech | Atlanta, Ga. | TBA |
| Saturday, February 28 | Georgia Tech | Atlanta, Ga. | TBA |
| Sunday, March 1 | Georgia Tech | Atlanta, Ga. | TBA |
| Friday, March 6 | Old Dominion | Norfolk, Va. | 3:00 PM |
| Saturday, March 7 | Old Dominion | Norfolk, Va. | 1:00 PM |
| Sunday, March 8 | Old Dominion | Norfolk, Va. | 1:00 PM |
| Tuesday, March 10 | Temple | Philadelphia, Pa. | 3:00 PM |
| Wednesday, March 11 | NJIT | Bainton Field | 3:00 PM |
| Friday, March 13 | Penn State | Boca Raton, Fla. | |
| Saturday, March 14 | Penn State (DH) | Boca Raton, Fla. | |
| Sunday, March 15 | Penn State | Boca Raton, Fla. | |
| Tuesday, March 17 | Florida Atlantic | Boca Raton, Fla. | |
| Wednesday, March 18 | Florida Atlantic | Boca Raton, Fla. | |
| Friday, March 20 | USF  | Tampa, Fla. | |
| Saturday, March 21 | USF | Tampa, Fla. | |
| Sunday, March 22 | USF | Tampa, Fla. | |
| Tuesday, March 24 | Princeton | Princeton, N.J. | 3:00 PM |
| Tuesday, March 24 | Rider | Lawrenceville, N.J. | 3:30 PM |
| Tuesday, March 24 | Wagner | Staten Island, N.Y. | 3:00 PM |
| Friday, March 27 | CINCINNATI | Bainton Field | 3:00 PM |
| Saturday, March 28 | CINCINNATI | Bainton Field | 1:00 PM |
| Sunday, March 29 | CINCINNATI | Bainton Field | 1:00 PM |
| Friday, April 3 | St. John's | Queens, N.Y. | |
| Saturday, April 4 | St. John's | Queens, N.Y. | |
| Sunday, April 5 | St. John's | Queens, N.Y. | |
| Tuesday, April 7 | COLUMBIA | Bainton Field | 3:30 PM |
| Friday, April 10 | CONNECTICUT | Bainton Field | 3:00 PM |
| Saturday, April 11 | CONNECTICUT | Bainton Field | 1:00 PM |
| Sunday, April 12 | CONNECTICUT | Bainton Field | 1:00 PM |
| Tuesday, April 14 | Fordham | Bronx, N.Y. | 3:30 PM |
| Wednesday, April 15 | IONA | Bainton Field | 3:30 PM |
| Friday, April 17 | LOUISVILLE | Bainton Field | 3:00 PM |
| Saturday, April 18 | LOUISVILLE | Bainton Field | 1:00 PM |
| Sunday, April 19 | LOUISVILLE | Bainton Field | 1:00 PM |
| Wednesday, April 22 | Lafayette | Easton, Pa. | 3:30 PM |
| Saturday, April 25 | Pittsburgh (DH) | Pittsburgh, Pa. | |
| Sunday, April 26 | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, Pa. | |
| Tuesday, April 28 | DELAWARE | Bainton Field | 3:30 PM |
| Wednesday, April 29 | MONMOUTH | Bainton Field | 3:30 PM |
| Friday, May 1 | West Virginia | Morgantown, W. Va. | |
| Saturday, May 2 | West Virginia | Morgantown, W. Va. | |
| Sunday, May 3 | West Virginia | Morgantown, W. Va. | |
| Tuesday, May 5 | Delaware | Newark, Dela. | 3:00 PM |
| Wednesday, May 6 | FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON | Bainton Field | 3:30 PM |
| Saturday, May 9 | SETON HALL (DH) | Bainton Field | 12:00 PM |
| Sunday, May 10 | SETON HALL | Bainton Field | 1:00 PM |
| Thursday, May 14 | GEORGETOWN | Bainton Field | 3:00 PM |
| Friday, May 15 | GEORGETOWN | Bainton Field | 3:00 PM |
| Saturday, May 16 | GEORGETOWN | Bainton Field | 1:00 PM |
