COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State baseball team will begin the 2010 season playing 18 of its first 21 games in the state of Florida with the other three being played in Knoxville, Tenn., head coach Bob Todd announced Thursday.
The Buckeyes, the defending Big Ten Conference champion who started 18-3 last year with the first 21 games played in Florida, open up their season Feb. 19-21 with three games in Jacksonville against North Florida, Florida A&M and Richmond before taking part in the second-annual Big Ten/Big East Challenge Feb. 26-28 in Clearwater/St. Petersburg. The 10 team, 30-game event pits the Buckeyes against South Florida, Notre Dame and in-state foe Cincinnati. Ohio State defeated the Fighting Irish and Bearcats in the inaugural Big Ten/Big East challenge last season.
Ohio State's initial series of games on the road also includes trips to Port Charlotte, Fla. (March 5-7), Knoxville (March 12-14) and to Winter Haven, Fla., for a series of Spring Break games against opponents to be announced.
Big Ten Conference play opens the weekend of April 2-4 at Northwestern and the regular season will conclude May 20-22 in Columbus with a series against Minnesota. The Bill Davis Stadium home opener is set for 2:05 p.m. Wednesday, March 31 against Toledo. It will be the first of 21 home games for the Buckeyes in 2010.
A few notes about some of the 2010 opponents:
- North Florida (Feb. 19) - Defeated Florida State (No. 10 final Collegiate Baseball ranking), Florida (No. 13) and Miami (No. 20);
- Notre Dame (Feb. 27) - Big East Tournament runner-up;
- Tennessee (Mar. 13) - Took 2-of-3 from CWS champion LSU;
- Michigan (April 30-May 2) - The series this year will be played in Ann Arbor;
- Louisville (May 4-5) - Finished 2009 ranked No. 14; Advanced to Super Regional before falling to Cal State Fullerton; returns to Columbus after the Buckeyes traveled to Louisville for a pair in 2009;
- Indiana (Apr. 9-11) - Big Ten tournament champion in 2009; teams did not play a Big Ten series in 2009;
- Minnesota (May 20-22) - Big Ten regular season and tournament runner-up; NCAA Regional participant.
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