ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Sixth-year head coach Corey Paluga formally announced the Elmira College baseball team's 2020 schedule on Wednesday afternoon, which includes games in five different states across a four-month span.
The spring schedule consists of 41 games, including the slate of games during the annual spring break trip, which will take place in Florida this season. The first one-and-a-half months are comprised solely of road games, as the Soaring Eagles won't play inside the friendly confines of historic Dunn Field until April.
For the first time since 2016, the Elmira nine will return to Florida to participate in the widely popular RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. The season brings on Monday, February 17, when the Soaring Eagles take on Bates and Brandeis in a doubleheader. EC will face each team on more time, before closing the southern jaunt against Augustana (Ill.) (2/21) and Castleton (2/22).
After returning from the Sunshine State, the team will head back south to Maryland for a pair of doubleheaders. Taking advantage of the leap year, McDaniel will host the Soaring Eagles on Saturday, February 29, followed by another twin bill at Stevenson (3/1) the next day.
The next nine games will all be held in the Keystone State. On Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8, Elmira will trek to Pennsylvania for doubleheaders at Franklin & Marshall and York, respectively. The next weekend also features back-to-back doubleheaders, as Cabrini will host EC on Saturday, March 14, and Muhlenberg will do so on Sunday, March 15.
Between Wednesday, March 18, and Sunday, March 22, the Soaring Eagles will once again be road warriors, as they'll travel to three different states for a five-game stretch. After facing Wilkes (3/18), Elmira plays a single game at NCAA regional qualifier Salisbury on Saturday, March 21. The week wraps up with a one-and-a-half-hour drive north to Dover, Delaware, the site of EC's contest versus Wesley on Sunday, March 22.
Empire 8 Conference play begins on Saturday, March 28. The E8's four baseball members will play each other five times in 2020 for a total of 15 conference games. For Elmira, the Empire 8 docket starts in Utica, New York, with a twin bill against the Utica Pioneers (3/28).
After a mid-week excursion to Brockport (4/1), the Soaring Eagles will make their long-awaited home debut at Dunn Field on Saturday, April 4, in a doubleheader against Houghton. First pitch for the home opener with the Highlanders is set for 12:30 p.m.
The Cardinals of St. John Fisher will host Elmira for three Empire 8 games on Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11. The seven-day trip continues on Wednesday, April 15, at SUNY Cobleskill, before the Highlanders battle the Soaring Eagles on Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18.
After the doubleheader at Houghton, six of the last seven games of the season will be at Dunn Field. A four-game homestand features a mid-week matchup against Scranton on Tuesday, April 21, followed by a three-game set with Utica on Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25.
The 2020 non-conference and road finale is a preview of a future E8 rivalry. Keuka, who will join the conference as a full-time member during the 2020-21 academic year, hosts the Purple and Gold for the last time as non-league foes on Tuesday, April 28.
The month of May kicks off on Saturday, May 2, with a doubleheader at home against St. John Fisher. First pitch for the final regular-season series of the spring is set for 1:00 p.m. at Dunn Field.
The season culminates with the Empire 8 Conference Championships, hosted by the No. 1 seed from Thursday, May 8, through Saturday, May 10.
Schedule Highlights
- Elmira's 2020 schedule includes 41 games, one more than the allowed 40-game maximum in anticipation of a cancellation due to poor weather.
- The Soaring Eagles only have eight home games on the schedule, the fewest in program history.
- 10 of the opponents on this year's schedule – Bates, Brandeis, Castleton, McDaniel, Franklin & Marshall, Cabrini, Muhlenberg, Wilkes, Salisbury, and Wesley – play against Elmira for the first time.
- EC will face one NCAA Tournament qualifier in Salisbury, which hosted a regional pod in 2019 as an at-large selection.
- Salisbury is the lone team on the schedule that finished 2019 in the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Division III Poll, as the Seagulls were ranked No. 24 after winning 35 games.
- Elmira will play Empire 8 opponents Houghton, St. John Fisher and Utica five times apiece, equaling 15 total conference games this season.
- The home opener against Houghton is on Saturday, April 4, at 12:30 p.m. at historic Dunn Field.
- Non-conference opponent breakdown: Atlantic East (2), CAC (2), Centennial (3), CCIW (1), Landmark (1), LEC (1), MAC Commonwealth (1), MAC Freedom (1), NEAC (2), NESCAC (1), SUNYAC (1), UAA (1).
Series to Watch
Elmira at Cabrini – Saturday, March 14 (12:00/2:30 p.m.)
Cabrini is a young program that has made a name for itself in just three seasons. The Cavaliers went 31-11 with an 11-1 record in the Atlantic East Conference last spring but fell in the inaugural best-of-three Atlantic East Championship Series to Gwynedd Mercy. Elmira's two-game series at Cabrini will be the team's fifth doubleheader of the year, so the Soaring Eagles should have enough time to shake off any rust before facing the Cavs at their home ballpark in Radnor, Pennsylvania.
Elmira vs. Houghton – Saturday, April 4 (12:30/3:00 p.m.)
With only eight home games this season, the Soaring Eagles must make every one count. EC's home opener at Dunn Field is on this date against the pesky Highlanders, who won last year's series two-games-to-one and have claimed seven of the last eight meetings with Elmira. The lone win by the Soaring Eagles in that span came in the 2019 home opener, and they'll attempt to repeat that result this season.
Elmira vs. St. John Fisher – Saturday, May 2 (1:00/3:30 p.m.)
The Empire 8 lost a pair of baseball affiliates over the offseason, so all four teams in the league will earn a berth into the E8 Championships in May. Although the right to qualify for postseason play won't be on the line, the Cardinals enter the 2020 season as favorites to earn hosting duties. That means the Soaring Eagles need to upset their feathered foes in this doubleheader at Dunn Field if they want a chance to earn the top seed for the first time in program history.