UK baseball team faces loaded 2010 schedule

Herald-Leader Staff Report

The University of Kentucky baseball team released its 2010 schedule Tuesday. The Cats have 15 opponents who played in the NCAA Tournament last season.

The schedule includes 29 home games, 27 road games and 10 weekends of Southeastern Conference play.

UK Coach Gary Henderson said the Cats' schedule "is one of the best in the country."

UK baseball schedule
(All times p.m. and Eastern)
FEBRUARY
19—Virginia Tech (Caravelle Resort Tournament at Myrtle Beach, S.C.), noon; 20—West Virginia (Caravelle Resort Tournament at Myrtle Beach, S.C.), 11 a.m.; 21—Coastal Carolina (Caravelle Resort Tournament at Myrtle Beach, S.C.), 3; 24—MURRAY STATE, 4; 26-28—BOWLING GREEN, 4, 1, 1.
MARCH
2—At Morehead State, TBA; 4—San Diego State (at San Diego, Calif.), 9; 5—San Diego (at San Diego, Calif.), 5; 6—Monmouth (San Diego, Calif.), 4; 9-10—EVANSVILLE, 4, 4; 12-14—IPFW, 4, 1, 1; 17—WRIGHT STATE, 6:30; 19-21—MISSISSIPPI, 6:30, 1, 1; 23—XAVIER, 6:30; 26-28—At Vanderbilt, 7, 3, 1; 30—At Cincinnati, 6:30; 31—WESTERN KENTUCKY, 6:30.
APRIL
2-4—At Arkansas, 7:35, 3:05, 2:05; 6—LOUISVILLE, 6:30; 9-11—ALABAMA, 6:30, 6:30, 1; 16-18—FLORIDA, 6:30, 6:30, 1; 20—At Western Kentucky, 7; 23-25—At Auburn, 7:30, 4, 2; 28—At Louisville, 6; 30-May 1-2—At Tennessee, 7, 4, 2
MAY
7-9—SOUTH CAROLINA, 6:30, 6:30, 1; 11—At Indiana, 4; 12—LIPSCOMB, 6:30; 14-16—LSU, 6:30, 6:30, 1; 18—At Murray State, 7; 20-22—At Georgia, 6:30, 6:30, 2; 26-30—SEC Tournament at Hoover, Ala.

For the second year in a row, UK (28-26 overall, 12-18 SEC last year) will open the season at Coastal Carolina's tournament. The Cats play Virginia Tech on Feb. 19, then West Virginia and Coastal Carolina on Feb. 20.

"I thought it was important that we test our kids early and get them ready for 10 weeks of SEC play," Henderson said.

Kentucky's home opener is Feb. 24 against Murray State.

Also on UK's pre-conference schedule is a trip to San Diego, which includes a game against San Diego State (41-23) and Coach Tony Gwynn.

The conference season begins March 19-21 when Kentucky hosts defending SEC regular-season champion Mississippi for a three-game series.

"The conference is going to be extremely competitive again," Henderson said. "We are going to have as many returning players as ever in the league. ... There is no weak team. It is going to be a great challenge from week to week. It is an absolute grind."