(Courtesy Saint Louis Athletics)
Saint Louis head baseball coach Darin Hendrickson has announced the Billikens’ 2015 schedule.
“This schedule is by far the most competitive we have had at Saint Louis” Hendrickson said. “We open with 10 tough road games. All those contests are at great venues and stadiums to energize us for the season ahead. We play projected NCAA Regional teams in Ohio State and Illinois and a vastly improved Iowa club. We then move to great Southern powerhouses Southern Miss and Troy in Pensacola, Fla.
“Our midweeks feature traditional Midwest powers Missouri State and SEMO, both very good teams as well. The Atlantic 10 schedule is a challenge with tough road trips, and we host VCU in a matchup of two of the top teams in the A-10. We look forward to the season and defending our three consecutive A-10 regular-season championships.”
The Billikens play in two early tournaments in Florida before facing a competitive non-conference slate. Saint Louis has eight Atlantic 10 Conference series before traveling to Washington, D.C., for the conference championship.
SLU opens the season with the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla. The Billikens take on Pitt on Feb. 13, Ohio State and Iowa on Feb. 14 and Kansas State on Feb. 15. Pitt has Jordan Frabasilio on its roster, twin brother of SLU catcher/outfielder Colton Frabasilio.
On Feb. 20-22, Saint Louis will compete in the Pensacola Bayfront Classic in Pensacola, Fla. SLU takes on Troy on Feb. 20, Southern Miss on Feb. 21 and North Florida on Feb. 22.
The Billikens have their first weekend series of the season on Feb. 27-March 1 at Memphis. Saint Louis topped the Tigers two games to one in last season’s series.
Following the Memphis series, the Billikens travel to Cape Girardeau, Mo., on March 3 for the first of three meetings against Southeast Missouri State.
The Billikens then open a 13-game homestand by welcoming Saint Peter’s to the Billiken Sports Center for a four-game series on March 6-8. Saint Louis hosts Eastern Illinois on March 11 and a three-game series against Northern Colorado on March 13-15. UT-Martin comes to St. Louis on March 18.
Saint Louis opens its conference schedule on March 20-22 with Rhode Island coming to the Billiken Sports Center. It will be the Rams’ first visit to SLU since the 2009 season.
The Billikens wrap up their homestand on March 24 with a midweek showdown against Southeast Missouri State.
Saint Louis travels to conference newcomer Davidson on March 27-29. It will be the first-ever meeting between the Billikens and Wildcats.
To finish March, the Bills head to Peoria, Ill., for a mid-week game against Missouri Valley Conference foe Bradley on March 31.
On SLU’s conference bye week, the Billikens face East Tennessee State at home on April 2-4.
Saint Louis takes on Big Ten foe Illinois in Champaign, Ill., on April 8. The Billikens and Illini have not squared off since the 2011 season.
The Bills return to conference play on April 10-12 to host La Salle at the Billiken Sports Center. They then host Southeast Missouri State for the third and final contest between the teams in 2015. On April 17-19, SLU hosts Massachusetts. The Billikens travel across the Mississippi River on April 22 for a mid-week game against rival SIU Edwardsville. Saint Louis wraps up April with a three-game series at Fordham on April 24-26 and a road game versus Eastern Illinois on April 28.
The Billikens take on VCU on May 1-3 at the Billiken Sports Center. It will be the Rams’ first regular-season trip to St. Louis. Saint Louis then hosts in-state rival Missouri State on May 5 before traveling to Washington, D.C., for a three-game series against George Washington on May 8-10. The Billikens’ final non-conference matchup comes against Southern Illinois on May 12 at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill. The final series of the regular season comes at Saint Joseph’s on May 14-16.
The 2015 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship will be held in Washington, D.C., on May 20, hosted by George Washington. The Billikens’ last trip to George Washington was in 2009, when the Bills won two of three games over the Colonials.
