Blackburn College has released the 2015 Baseball Team's schedule. The Beavers have 19 home games which might be the most in school history. This includes four straight Sunday home dates late in the season.
The Beavers will open the season on March 4 in Jacksonville against St. Louis Inercollegiate Athletic Conference foe MacMurray College. This is the first time in at least 15 years that Blackburn opens the season with conference games. After that, it's travel to the south for the annual spring trip. Beginning with a three-game series against Illinois Wesleyan University in Jackson, Mississippi it's off to the Crescent City of New Orleans as the Beavers will take on Loyola University of New Orleans in a midweek two-game series. The Beavers will finish up the trip back in Jackson, Mississippi taking on Tougaloo College in a three-game series.
After the spring trip, Blackburn will play 19 of the remaining 30 contests at home. The home opener is scheduled for St. Patrick's Day as the Beavers host Lincoln Christian University. Conference opponent Westminster is next for a doubleheader that Friday which starts a very busy weekend. Blackburn then hosts Monmouth College and the University of Chicago the following day before travelling back to Monmouth on Sunday for a single game. The month of March finishes with the series finale with MacMurray on the 25th and a trip to Iowa Wesleyan for a doubleheader on the 28th.
The month of April begins with a non-conference home game against Illinois College on the 1st before taking Easter weekend off. After the break, the Beavers host Principia College in a doubleheader on the 7th before travelling to Webster University on the 11th and then hosting Illinois Institute of Technology on the 12th. On Tuesday the 14th, Blackburn wraps up the series with Principia with a trip to Elsah for a single night game. The next weekend brings four more conference non-division games as Blackburn travels to Eureka College and then returns for a Sunday home doubleheader against Fontbonne. Blackburn will host division rival Greenville on Friday the 24th before finishing the series with a road doubleheader on the 25th. The Beavers also play on Sunday that weekend by hosting first time opponent Robert Morris of Blackburn returns the non-conference home and home series with a trip to Jacksonville play Illinois College before hosting division opponent Spalding University on May 2nd and 3rd.
This season is the first for divisional play in the SLIAC with Blackburn, MacMurray, Principia, Greenville and Spalding making up one division while Westminster, Eureka, Webster, Fontbonne and Iowa Wesleyan make up the other.
"I'm very excited about the amount of home games we have slated," said Blackburn Coach Mike Neal. "Especially the amount of Sunday home games in April which makes it easy for our parents and fans to get to the games."