HANOVER, N.H. -- Fresh off of a season in which the Big Green finished with the second best record in the Ivy League, head coach
Bob Whalen today announced Dartmouth's 2007 baseball schedule, highlighted by the team's eleven day Spring Trip to Bradenton, Florida.
The campaign kicks off March 3 and 4 with a three game set at the University of Cincinnati, the team's first trip to the Big East opponent. The Bearcats completed the 2006 season sixth in the Big East while advancing to the Conference tournament for the first time since 2001.
A brief break for final examinations interrupts the schedule before Whalen, in his 18th season at the helm of the Big Green, takes the team to Bradenton, Florida. Games against Fairfield University, Eastern Kentucky, and UMass open up the schedule before Dartmouth takes on three Big 10 conference opponents. Ohio State is slated to take on the Big Green March 19th before three games against the Fighting Illini of the University of Illinois. Florida Atlantic, who failed to advance to the NCAA Regionals for the first time in five years a season ago, hosts Dartmouth March 21 before the trip concludes with a two game set against Northwestern March 24-25.
Once back in the Northeast, the Big Green's non-conference slate continues with Quinnipiac University hosting Dartmouth March 28th. The Bobcats, who appeared in the NCAA Regional at Texas in 2005, split a pair of games last season with Dartmouth. The balance of the non-conference games away from Hanover include matchups at Holy Cross (April 18), the University of Vermont (April 24), and Boston College (May 2) while Dartmouth will host Siena College (April 4) in the 2007 home opener with additional home dates against the University of Vermont (April 17) and the University of Hartford (May 1).
Columbia (March 31) and the University of Pennsylvania (April 1) entertain the Big Green in the first Ivy League games of the 2006 season. Dartmouth will then host Cornell University (April 7) and Princeton University (April 8) to conclude games against the Gehrig Division.
Brown University makes its return visit to Hanover for a four game set April 14-15 to usher in divisional games. Yale hosts Dartmouth April 21-22 in New Haven, Conn. with the home finale coming April 28th against Harvard University. The regular season comes to a close the following day in Cambridge.
On the heels of a 20-19 mark and a 13-7 record within the Ivy League, Dartmouth will attempt to reach the Ivy League playoffs on May 5-6 for the fourth time since the 2000 season. Senior Jeff Wilkerson (Walnut Creek, Calif.), an Honorable Mention All-Ivy Team member one year ago, anchors the rotation while 2nd Team All-Ivy member Damon Wright (Dallas, Texas) will lead the Big Green offense.