St. Andrews unveils 2011 spring baseball schedule

LAURINBURG, N.C.—The St. Andrews Presbyterian College athletics department has announced its 2011 baseball schedule that features 50 games starting in February.

The Knights schedule is highlighted by 26 home games including a season long 10-game home stand to start the season.

SAPC will take the field under the direction of first year head coach Matt Boykin and assistants Drew Roberts and Jason Kuhn on Saturday, February 5 against Brevard College. The Knights will only play at Clark Field for the first two weeks of the season, which is highlighted by a three-game weekend series against Winston-Salem State University.

The Royal Blue and White will be traveling out of Laurinburg for 23 road games covering four states including South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. Three-game weekend series at Virginia State University and Tusculum College underscore the Knights non-conference travels.

St. Andrews will play seven Conference Carolinas weekend series for a total of 21 league games. Seven of the Knights 11 wins last season came in league play.

The top six teams in the league standings (out of eight) will qualify for the 2011 Conference Carolinas Tournament, which will once again be hosted by Barton College and the Wilson Tobs at historic Fleming Stadium in mid-April. The Knights are slated to host conference rivals Barton, Coker College, Belmont Abbey College, and Limestone College. SAPC will visit league foes Mount Olive College, Erskine College, and Pfeiffer University.

The Diamond Knights will play 39-of-50 games against Southeast Region opposition, which is considered one of the toughest regions in the nation. SAPC will battle four of the eight teams that finished the season ranked in the region including Mount Olive, Erskine, Francis Marion University, and UNC Pembroke. Other regional powers the Knights will face in 2011 include Augusta State University, Wingate University, USC Aiken, Tusculum, and Lander University.

St. Andrews will play a neutral site doubleheader against Clarion University (Pennsylvania) at Francis Marion University in March, with the twin bill being the only games not counting on the Knights regional record. SAPC contests nine games against a trio of CIAA opposition (VSU, WSSU, and Chowan University), with all nine results counting regionally due to the institutions local proximity to St. Andrews.

The Knights will become road warriors late in the season with a season long 10-game road swing over the last week of March and the first week of April. St. Andrews only has four home games scheduled in the final month of the regular season. The Knights will cap the season with four non-conference games after the Conference Carolinas Tournament in late April.

SAPC will honor its senior class on Sunday, April 10 in the Knights league finale against the Bulldogs of Barton College.

EDITORS NOTE: Schedule is subject to change and fans are encouraged to visit the St. Andrews athletics website throughout the season to verify dates, times, and locations.