2018 Schedule

GLASSBORO, NJ – The Rowan University baseball team announced its 2018 schedule on Tuesday.
 
The Profs have 13 home games, 19 on the road and eight contests at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. The team looks to build off of last year's NCAA Regional appearance, its first since 2014, and 29-18 record.
 
"I'm really excited going into the season," said fourth-year head coach Mike Dickson. "I think our pitching staff is going to be improved. We struggled a little in the back end of games last year. Five of our eight conference losses were in the seventh inning or later. We return a closer and brought one in as well. Offensively, we should score some runs. We bring back our core from last year's regional team and have added a couple of impact transfers."
 
Rowan will face numerous quality opponents this season, including seven teams that reached the NCAA postseason, two of which were regional champions. Two more squads were one win away from the championship round, falling in the regional title game.
 
"Every year, we like to play the best outside competition that we can," said Dickson. "Our non-conference games throughout the year are going to be very challenging and that's what we want in order to prepare us for the conference schedule and the NCAA Tournament."
 
The campaign begins at home versus Stevens Institute of Technology on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. The Profs travel to Randolph-Macon College for a three-game series on Saturday-Sunday, March 3-4. The schools play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday, both with a noon start time. Arcadia University comes to Glassboro on Tuesday, March 6 at 3:30 p.m. The Knights (33-13) won the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth title and competed in the NCAA New England Regional last season.
 
The baseball team begins its stay at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Friday, March 9 versus Salve Regina University. In 2017, the Seahawks (36-12) were the champions of the Commonwealth Coast Conference and played in the NCAA New England Regional. Rowan plays three games before its off day against Ripon College on Saturday, March 10, UMass Boston on Sunday, March 11 and Mount St. Joseph University on Monday, March 12. UMass Boston (38-12) won the Little East Conference and New England Regional a year ago.
 
Next, the Profs face Bowdoin College on Wednesday, March 14. On Thursday, March 15, the squad takes on Wheaton College (MA). The Lyons (27-17) were the champions of the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional in 2017. The University of Southern Maine is the opponent on Friday, March 16. The Huskies (34-13) advanced to the championship game of the NCAA New York Regional. The Florida trip concludes on Saturday, March 17 versus Hamilton College.
 
"We always try to play a monster Florida schedule," said Dickson. "We probably made it to regionals last year because our Florida trip was so strong. We played five teams that ended up making the playoffs and two of them won a regional. I think it's just as difficult this year. That's what we want to do down there is to play really strong teams from throughout the country and find out who our team is and who it can compete with."
 
After returning north, Rowan heads to Penn State Abington on Tuesday, March 20 for a 3:30 p.m. game. Neumann University is in town on Wednesday, March 21 at 3:30 p.m. A road game follows at Immaculata University on Saturday, March 24 at 1 p.m. The Mighty Macs (26-12) were the runner-up in the Colonial States Athletic Conference last season. The Profs welcome York College (PA) on Sunday, March 25 at 2 p.m.
 
The squad hits the road for five straight games beginning on Tuesday, March 27 at Haverford College. Rowan faces Neumann again on the road on Wednesday, March 28. Both contests begin at 3:30 p.m. Conference play commences with an 11:30 a.m. doubleheader at Ramapo College on Saturday, March 31. The Roadrunners were last season's New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) runner-up. The road swing ends on Thursday, April 5 at Stockton University at 3:30 p.m.
 
"Those stretches are where you really find out what kind of team you are," continued Dickson. "If you think about it, in the regional, you are playing all of those games at a neutral site but you're still away from home. Hopefully, having a lot of games on the road will prepare us for that type of atmosphere."
 
The Ospreys visit Glassboro on Friday, April 6 at 3:30 p.m. The Profs host Montclair State University for a conference doubleheader on Saturday, April 7 at 11:30 a.m. Five of the team's next six contests are away. Rowan makes back-to-back trips to Moravian College and SUNY New Paltz on Monday-Tuesday, April 9-10. First pitch for both games is at 4 p.m.
 
A home game against Rutgers-Camden is scheduled for Thursday, April 12 followed by a matchup at the Scarlet Raptors on Friday, April 13. Both contests start at 3:30 p.m. The Profs visit Rutgers-Newark on Saturday, April 14 for an 11:30 a.m. twin bill. Rowan has its final non-conference tilt of the year at home versus Salisbury University on Tuesday, April 17 at 3:30 p.m. The Sea Gulls (35-11) captured the Capital Athletic Conference crown and were the runners-up of the NCAA South Regional.
 
The Profs have a home-and-home series with defending NJAC champion The College of New Jersey on Thursday-Friday, April 19-20. Thursday's contest is in Ewing and the teams meet in Glassboro on Friday. Both games start at 3:30 p.m. The baseball team travels to Kean University for a doubleheader on Saturday, April 21 at 11:30 a.m. Rowan hosts New Jersey City University on Thursday, April 26 before playing at the Gothic Knights on Friday, April 27. First pitch for both contests is 3:30 p.m. The regular season closes on Saturday, April 28 with a pair of home games versus William Paterson University at 11:30 a.m.
 
"Year in and year out, the NJAC is one of the best Division III conferences in the country, if not the best," said Dickson. "It's no different this season. Four teams received votes in the preseason poll, which is tied for the most of any conference. Last year, it was clear that any team could beat any other. There was a lot of parity."
 
The top six teams qualify for the NJAC Championship Tournament, which begins on Tuesday, May 1 at campus sites. The tournament continues at Kean University on Friday-Sunday, May 4-6. The conference champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament.