HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – With the winningest season in program history just a few short months in the rearview mirror, the Marshall Thundering Herd baseball schedule for the 2009 season was announced today.

Fifty-six games dot Marshall’s upcoming campaign, including 21 home contests. The Herd’s Conference USA home slate, which features 2008 NCAA Regional participants East Carolina, Houston and Tulane, along with UAB, will be played at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, W.Va. Marshall’s nine remaining home contests will be played at the Kennedy Center on Route 2 in Huntington.

The Herd will also play eight road games against four NCAA Regional teams from a year ago, including midweek tilts against Virginia and Kentucky, as well as three-game sets with C-USA foes Southern Miss and Rice. The schedule also features three new opponents, as Marshall will meet Old Dominion, Radford and South Florida for the first time in program history.

For the second time in as many years, Marshall will travel to North Carolina to open its season. The Herd will participate in the four-team Wake Forest University Tournament to open the season, beginning with a Feb. 20 match-up with Akron. Marshall will play a pair of games against Old Dominion and a contest against tournament host Wake Forest. The Herd will stay in the Carolinas, traveling to Charleston, S.C. for The Citadel Tournament. The tournament field includes Tennessee Tech, Radford and the host Bulldogs. Marshall will then play its ninth straight road match in Oxford, Ohio, against Miami University.

Marshall will play the first of its nine non-conference home games beginning with a showdown with Morehead State, March 4 at the Kennedy Center. The Herd’s non-conference home schedule includes midweek battles with Kent State, Xavier, Eastern Kentucky, Ohio, Miami University and a three-game set with Youngstown State.

League competition starts March 20-22 when the Herd travels to Memphis, Tenn., for a showdown with the Tigers. Marshall then welcomes East Carolina to West Virginia and Power Park for its first C-USA home series, March 27-29.

Among Marshall’s conference games is a trip to Hattiesburg, Miss., where the Golden Eagles will host the Herd April 3-5. Southern Miss. will also be the site of the 2009 C-USA Baseball Championship. After the Golden Eagles took the regular season series 2-1 and the first of three meetings during the 2008 C-USA Baseball Championship, Marshall defeated Southern Miss 6-3 and then 5-3 to earn a spot in the championship game against Houston.

Marshall concludes its regular season slate with a three-game set with Tulane at Power Park. The Herd also took two decisions from last year’s conference tournament host Green Wave during Marshall’s Cinderella postseason run. The 2009 C-USA Baseball Championship will take place May 20-24 in Hattiesburg, Miss., with the NCAA Regionals beginning May 29-31.

2009 Marshall Baseball Schedule

February 20 vs. Akron Winston-Salem, N.C. 11:00 AM
February 20 vs. Old Dominion Winston-Salem, N.C. 2:30 PM
February 21 vs. Old Dominion Winston-Salem, N.C. 11:00 AM
February 22 at Wake Forest Winston-Salem, N.C. 2:30 PM
February 27 vs. Tennesse Tech Charleston, S.C. 11:00 AM
February 27 vs. Radford Charleston, S.C. 6:00 PM
February 28 at Citadel Charleston, S.C. 2:30 PM
March 1 vs. Radford Charleston, S.C. 11:00 AM
March 3 at Miami (Ohio) Oxford, Ohio 6:00 PM
March 4 Morehead State Huntington, W.Va. 3:00 PM
March 6 at USF Tampa, Fla. 7:00 PM
March 7 at USF Tampa, Fla. 7:00 PM
March 8 at USF Tampa, Fla. 1:00 PM
March 10 Kent State Huntington, W.Va. 3:00 PM
March 11 at Morehead State Morehead, Ky. 3:00 PM
March 13 Youngstown State Huntington, W.Va. 3:00 PM
March 14 Youngstown State Huntington, W.Va. 1:00 PM
March 15 Youngstown State Huntington, W.Va. 1:00 PM
March 17 at Virginia Charlottesville, N.C. 4:00 PM
March 20 at Memphis* Memphis, Tenn. 7:30 PM
March 21 at Memphis* Memphis, Tenn. 2:00 PM
March 22 at Memphis* Memphis, Tenn. 2:00 PM
March 24 Xavier Huntington, W.Va. 3:00 PM
March 25 at Eastern Kentucky Richmond, Ky. 3:00 PM
March 27 East Carolina* Charleston, W.Va. (Power Park) 6:00 PM
March 28 East Carolina* Charleston, W.Va. (Power Park) 6:00 PM
March 29 East Carolina* Charleston, W.Va. (Power Park) 1:00 PM
March 31 at Kentucky Lexington, Ky. 6:30 PM
April 1 at Ohio State Columbus, Ohio 2:05 PM
April 3 at Southern Miss* Hattiesburg, Miss. 7:30 PM
April 4 at Southern Miss* Hattiesburg, Miss. 4:00 PM
April 5 at Southern Miss* Hattiesburg, Miss. 2:00 PM
April 7 at Xavier Cincinnati, Ohio 3:00 PM
April 8 at Kent State Kent, Ohio 3:00 PM
April 10 UAB* Charleston, W.Va. (Power Park) 2:05 PM
April 11 UAB* Charleston, W.Va. (Power Park) 12:00 PM
April 12 UAB* Charleston, W.Va. (Power Park) 1:00 PM
April 14 at Ohio Athens, Ohio 6:00 PM
April 15 Eastern Kentucky Huntington, W.Va. 3:00 PM
April 17 at Rice* Houston, Texas 7:30 PM
April 18 at Rice* Houston, Texas 3:00 PM
April 19 at Rice* Houston, Texas 2:00 PM
April 21 Ohio Huntington, W.Va. 3:00 PM
April 24 Houston* Charleston, W.Va. (Power Park) 7:00 PM
April 25 Houston* Charleston, W.Va. (Power Park) 2:05 PM
April 26 Houston* Charleston, W.Va. (Power Park) 10:35 AM
April 29 at Youngstown State Youngstown, Ohio 3:00 PM
May 1 at UCF* Orlando, Fla. 6:30 PM
May 2 at UCF* Orlando, Fla. 4:00 PM
May 3 at UCF* Orlando, Fla. 1:00 PM
May 9 at Radford Radford, Va. 7:00 PM
May 10 at Radford Radford, Va. 2:00 PM
May 12 Miami (Ohio) Huntington, W.Va. 3:00 PM
May 14 Tulane* Charleston, W.Va. (Power Park) 2:05 PM
May 15 Tulane* Charleston, W.Va. (Power Park) 2:05 PM
May 16 Tulane* Charleston, W.Va. (Power Park) 2:05 PM
May 20-4 Conference USA Tournament Hattiesburg, Miss. TBA
May 29-31 NCAA Regionals TBA TBA
June 5-7 NCAA Super Regionals TBA TBA
June 13-22 2009 College World Series Omaha, Neb. TBA