CALIFORNIA (Feb. 1) – The California University of Pennsylvania baseball team released its schedule for the upcoming spring season on Monday afternoon.
The Vulcans were limited to 12 games (6-6) in 2020 before the remainder of the campaign was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The schedule features a total of 40 games this spring, anchored by 28 games in PSAC West play. This spring, the division will feature a change from its traditional seven-inning doubleheaders, as Game 1 will remain scheduled for seven innings and Game 2 is now set for nine innings.
The Vulcans are scheduled to play a total of 25 games at Wild Things Park, including 11 of their 12 non-divisional contests. Cal U boasts a combined 39-15 record at home since the start of the 2018 campaign.
Cal U opens the season with a three-game series from Feb. 26-28 against Wheeling, which nearly matched its win total last spring from 2019 despite playing just 13 games. The Vulcans then host three games versus Walsh from March 5-7 after the Cavaliers made consecutive appearances in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) Tournament.
The following weekend, the Vulcans will play a non-conference contest against Clarion on March 13 before hosting a doubleheader against Salem, which posted a nearly 20-win improvement from 2017 to 2019. Cal U then plays a pair of nine-inning games against IUP in non-conference play on March 20-21 before playing a mid-week contest against Salem on March 23.
Cal U opens PSAC West play on March 26-27 with a series against Slippery Rock, which will debut an artificial playing surface at Jack Critchfield Park this spring and will host the 2021 PSAC Tournament. The Vulcans then play a four-game divisional set against IUP on April 2-3, as the Crimson Hawks feature a new artificial turf infield this season at Owen J. Dougherty Field.
The Vulcans will face Mercyhurst on April 9-10 after the Lakers captured the NCAA Atlantic Region Championship in both 2018 and 2019. Cal U then plays four games against Pitt-Johnstown, which started last year on an eight-game winning streak, on April 23-24 before facing Clarion, which featured a new head coach in 2020, the following weekend.
Cal U continues divisional play with a series against Seton Hill, which won back-to-back PSAC Championships in 2017 and 2018, on April 30-May 1. The Vulcans close the regular season with a four-game set versus Gannon on May 7-8 after the Golden Knights claimed an outright first-place finish in the PSAC West standings for the first time in program history in 2019.
Due to the on-going pandemic and dependent upon state and local recommendations, all opponents, dates and times on the schedule are subject to change. Additional information related to attendance and safety protocols at Wild Things Park will be announced closer to the start of the season.
