RedHawks Scheduled To Play Defending NCAA Champs In 2004
8/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Aug. 15, 2003
OXFORD, Ohio - Head coach Tracy Smith announced earlier today that the Miami baseball team will play three games next season against the defending NCAA Champions, Rice University, on April 9-11. The RedHawks and Owls play the Friday contest at 7 p.m., the Saturday game at 2 p.m. and wrap up the weekend with a 1 p.m. Sunday game at Rice's Reckling Park.
"Rice is obviously a top-caliber team, and it is quite unique that we were able to match up bye weekend's for this series," Smith says. "This provides us with an opportunity to play a Southern team nearly halfway through the season and not on Spring Break."
Rice enters the 2004 season as the defending NCAA Champion after defeating Stanford in a best-of-three series to win the College World Series. The Owls finished the 2003 campaign with a 58-12 record and delivered the university with its first national championship in any sport. Head coach Wayne Graham was bestowed the honor of Collegiate Baseball Coach of the Year after leading the Owls to their first national championship.
 | "It's not everyday that you get to put the defending national champion on your schedule..." Tracy Smith |
"It's not everyday that you get to put the defending national champion on your schedule, and, with it, we have given our team a good test next year," Smith says. "This series, will feature two very good pitching staffs, and I'm excited for it."
The RedHawks finished one game short of a Mid-American Conference title last season, but return three starting pitchers next year including the 2003 MAC Freshman of the Year in sophomore pitcher Graham Taylor (Villa Hills, Ky./Dixie Heights). The Red and White notched its sixth straight 30-win season by finishing with a 36-24-1 record. The team is scheduled to open its 2004 season on Feb. 20-22 with three games in Gainesville, Fla., against the Florida Gators.