CANISIUS COLLEGE ATHLETICS
Canisius head baseball coach Matt Mazurek announced the team’s full 2019 schedule Monday, unveiling a 51-game slate. The Golden Griffins will face three teams that made the 2018 NCAA Tournament and are set to host 13 games at the Demske Sports Complex, 12 of which being Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference matchups.
The non-conference schedule is highlighted by weekend series at Kentucky, Indiana and Notre Dame, along with the Griffs heading to the Wright State/Dayton Tournament. The Blue and Gold close out their regular season with a three-game trip to rival Niagara as part of the “Battle of the Bridge” series.
For the first time since 2017, the Griffs kick off their campaign in the state of North Carolina, taking on North Carolina Central in a three-game series Feb. 15-17. Canisius returns to the Tar Heel State the following weekend, Feb. 22-24, to play Charlotte as part of the 49ers’ four-game home series against the Griffs.
Canisius will visit a brand-new ballpark this season, as the March 1-3 road trip to Kentucky will be the first weekend series at the Wildcats’ new home, Kentucky Proud Park. The Griffs then travel to Dayton, Ohio for the Wright State/Dayton Tournament, taking on defending Horizon League champion Wright State March 8. Dayton then hosts Canisius for a doubleheader the next day, followed by a neutral site contest with Ohio University to close out the weekend.
Continuing its 19-game season-opening road swing, Canisius takes on fellow 2018 NCAA Tournament qualifier Indiana for a trio of games March 15-17. The Griffs finish their time on the road with its first mid-week series of the season, traveling to Kansas State for a pair of games March 19-20.
Returning home, the 2018 MAAC champions open their home schedule and their conference slate versus Siena (March 23-24). The Griffs stay at home March 30-31 for a league series against MAAC foe Manhattan.
April 3 sees the Blue and Gold travel to Ivy League opponent Cornell for a doubleheader, before visiting Quinnipiac April 6-7 for the first road series on the MAAC schedule.
The Griffs play their lone non-conference home game April 9, welcoming MAC champion Kent State to the Demske for the first game of a home-and-home series. Marist will host Canisius the weekend of April 13-14, while the Griffs host Saint Peter’s for three games April 19-20. The second game of the home-and-home with Kent State will come April 24, as the Golden Griffins travel to the state of Ohio for the second time during the season.
Canisius stays on the road, playing at Fairfield April 27-28, before returning to Western New York for an April 30 non-conference game at Sal Maglie Stadium versus long-time rival Niagara. The Griffs’ final home series May 4-5 will be a rematch of the 2018 MAAC Championship game, as Canisius hosts Monmouth.
The last non-conference series of the 2019 campaign has Canisius heading to South Bend, Ind., for a three-game slate at Notre Dame the weekend of May 11-12. The Griffs then close out the regular season with a three-game MAAC series at Niagara May 16-17.
Canisius will look to defend its conference title May 22-25 at Richmond County Bank Ballpark in Staten Island, N.Y. The 2019 MAAC Championship will feature a six-team, double-elimination tournament on Memorial Day weekend, with the winner earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship.
The Griffs return 27 letterwinners from the 2018 championship squad, led by CBN All-Canadian Second-Team selection Conner Morro, MAAC All-Championship Team honoree Mark McKenna and six other seniors. Canisius also adds 11 newcomers, made up of three junior-college transfers and eight freshmen, to a team that finished third in the MAAC standings a season ago.
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