MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — During last month’s groundbreaking for WVU’s new ballpark, baseball coach Randy Mazey emphasized the need to “ramp up the schedule” in his second season.
To that aim, the Mountaineers will make two trips to the West Coast in 2014, playing a three-game set at San Diego State in February followed by a Spring Break excursion of seven games in eight days in March.
“Part of your college education is visiting different places and seeing different things,” Mazey said. “I think it’s neat for the kids to play people from across the country.”
The nonconference lineup also includes Ohio State, Penn State, Virginia Tech and home-and-home sets against Maryland, Pitt and Marshall.
The other highlight of the schedule, as previously reported by MetroNews in July, involves Mazey’s insistence on returning conference games to Hawley Field for the park’s final season. WVU will host Texas, Oklahoma State and Kansas State in Morgantown, potentially installing temporary seating.
“We’ve got all this talk in town about Big 12 baseball and no one’s ever seen a Big 12 game here,” Mazey said.
The Mountaineers will face Baylor in Charleston, where WVU played the bulk of its Big 12 home schedule last season.
“I don’t think the excitement in WVU baseball has ever been as high as it is right now,” Mazey said. “So we’re going to try to keep that going as long as we can.”
WEST VIRGINIA BASEBALL 2013
Friday, Feb. 14 vs. Louisville (Charleston, S.C.), noon
Saturday, Feb .15 vs. Delaware (Charleston, S.C.), 11 a.m.
Sunday, Feb. 16 at The Citadel (Charleston, S.C.), 1 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 21 at San Diego State, 9 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 22 at San Diego State, 5 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 23 at San Diego State, 4 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 28 vs. Duke (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), 2 p.m.
Saturday, March 1 vs. Coastal Carolina (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 2 vs. James Madison (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), TBA
Saturday, March 8 at UC Riverside, 4 p.m.
Sunday, March 9 at Sacramento State, 4 p.m.
Sunday, March 9 at UC Riverside, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, March 11 at UNLV, 9 p.m.
Thursday, March 13 at Cal State Northridge, 6 p.m.
Friday, March 14 at Cal State Northridge, 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 15 at Cal State Northridge, 4 p.m.
Tuesday, March 18 Marshall (Charleston, W.Va.), 4 p.m.
Friday, March 21 at UNC Wilmington, 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 22 at UNC Wilmington, 2 p.m.
Sunday, March 23 at UNC Wilmington, 1 p.m.
Tuesday, March 25 Pitt, 3 p.m.
Friday, March 28 Baylor (Charleston, W.Va.), 2 p.m.
Saturday, March 29 Baylor (Charleston, W.Va.), 4 p.m.
Sunday , March 30 Baylor (Charleston, W.Va.), 1 p.m.
Tuesday, April 1 at Pitt, 6 p.m.
Friday, April 4 at TCU, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 5 at TCU, 5 p.m.
Sunday, April 6 at TCU, 2 p.m.
Tuesday, April 8 at Penn State, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, April 11 Oklahoma State, 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 12 Oklahoma State, 6 p.m.
Sunday, April 13 Oklahoma State, 1 p.m.
Tuesday, April 15 Ohio State, 6 p.m.
Thursday, April 17 at Oklahoma, 7 p.m.
Friday, April 18 at Oklahoma, 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 19 at Oklahoma, 3 p.m.
Tuesday, April 22 Maryland, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, April 23 Marshall, 6 p.m.
Friday, April 25 Kansas State, 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 26 Kansas State, 4 p.m.
Sunday, April 27 Kansas State, noon
Friday, May 2 Texas, 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 3 Texas, 4 p.m.
Sunday, May 4 Texas, 1 p.m.
Tuesday, May 6 Virginia Tech (Princeton, W.Va.), 6 p.m.
Friday, May 9 at Kansas, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 10 at Kansas, 3 p.m.
Sunday, May 11 at Kansas, 2 p.m.
Tuesday, May 13 at Maryland, 4 p.m.
Thursday, May 15 at Texas Tech, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 16 at Texas Tech, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 17 at Texas Tech, 3 p.m.
May 21-25 Big 12 Championship (Oklahoma City, Okla.)