The Daily Gamecock

Gamecocks release 2017 baseball schedule

The South Carolina baseball team has released its 2017 schedule with the Gamecocks set to open with a three-game set against UNC Greensboro on Feb. 17. 

South Carolina will usher in the new season with a nine-game home stand at Founders Park in February, featuring weekend series against UNCG and Wright State plus midweek games against Charlotte, Kansas State and Appalachian State. 

The Gamecocks' first true test will come in a marquee three-game series against Clemson, who will return 2016 Dick Howser Trophy winner Seth Beer. The Gamecocks will travel to Clemson for the Friday night opener on March 3 and are set to play the second game at the neutral confines of Fluor Field in Greenville on March 4. On the March 5, the Gamecocks will welcome the Tigers to Founders Park to conclude the series. 

The Gamecocks will begin conference play on the road against Tennessee from March 17-19. That marks the first of five-weekend series away from Founders Park. The Gamecocks face a difficult road schedule that also includes visits to Auburn, Florida, LSU and Missouri. 

Alabama will visit Columbia for South Carolina's first SEC home series on March 24-26. The Gamecocks will also host Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Georgia. 

Additional prominent non-conference series include matchups with Wright State on Feb. 24-26 and Michigan State on March 10-12. The Raiders won the Horizon League Tournament last season and won two games in the Louisville Regional. Michigan State returns a veteran roster after going 13-11 in the Big Ten last season. 

For the second consecutive season the Gamecocks will play Mike Fox's North Carolina Tar Heels at BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte. This year's game is scheduled for April 11, as the Gamecocks will look to avenge a 15-0 defeat. 

The Gamecocks will not play defending national champion Coastal Carolina after pairing up with the Chanticleers in each of the last three seasons. 

Of the 56 regular season games on the calendar for the Gamecocks, 18 come against teams that qualified for the regionals last season. 


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