GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum baseball team will face five teams who advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament with the release of its 2018 schedule. The 50-game slate includes 30 home contests, while also facing a 27-game South Atlantic Conference schedule. (2018 Schedule)
Tusculum head coach Doug Jones, who is entering his 21st season in Greeneville, returns 16 lettermen from last year's 30-20 squad that finished fifth in the SAC standings. Under Jones' tenure, the Pioneers have recorded 17 consecutive winning seasons, including 15 in a row with 30-plus wins.
Leading Tusculum this year will be All-SAC second baseman Daulton Martin as the Lancaster, Pennsylvania sophomore batted .372 and led TC in walks (27) and on-base percentage (.471) in his rookie campaign.
The Pioneers will take on 12 programs that posted winning records, including eight which accounted for 30 or more victories in 2017. TC will also play three teams that won either their conference's regular season or tournament titles.
Since moving into the multi-million dollar Pioneer Park in 2002, Tusculum has enjoyed unparalleled success amassing a 309-96 home record for a .762 winning percentage.
TC will begin the season on Feb. 1 when they travel to Embry-Riddle for the first of four games in Florida. The Eagles are coming off its first losing campaign since 1991 going 14-35. Embry-Riddle, who was a dominant baseball power in the NAIA, is entering its first full season as a member of NCAA Division II and the Sunshine State Conference. This will be the first meeting between Tusculum and the Eagles.
The Pioneers travel to Nova Southeastern on Feb. 2 to take on the 2016 NCAA National Champions. The Sharks posted a 35-18 record last year, finished second in the Sunshine State Conference and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Nova downed TC in last year's opener and are ranked 20th in this year's DII Coaches Poll.
On Feb. 3, the Pioneers travel to Palm Beach Atlantic to face the Sailfish. PBA went 27-23 last season, including a 6-5 win over Tusculum. Like the Embry-Riddle, Palm Beach Atlantic will be playing in their first full season as Sunshine State Conference members in 2018.
TC wraps up the Florida trip with a Feb. 4 match-up with Lynn University. The Knights went 30-20 last season and finished fifth in the SSC. Tusculum erased a 6-0 deficit and scored five runs in the ninth inning as the Pioneers defeated Lynn 10-7 in last year's meeting.
TC will open the home portion of its schedule Feb. 9-10 when they host Belmont Abbey for a three-game series. The Crusaders are coming off a 37-17 campaign which saw them finish third in the Conference Carolinas standings while finishing runner-up in the league's postseason tournament. Tusculum won two of the three meetings last season with Belmont Abbey.
The Pioneers travel to Winston-Salem State on Feb. 13 for the first of two meetings with the Rams. WSSU won its seventh straight CIAA title last season going 39-19 overall and 14-2 in league play. The Rams advanced to the NCAA Tournament and finished the year ranked 30th in the nation. The CIAA dropped baseball from its list of sponsored sports as WSSU will be playing as a NCAA II Independent this season.
The Pioneers start an 11-game home-stand the weekend of Feb. 16-18. Tusculum will be hosting Notre Dame College (Ohio) along with Davis & Elkins for a weekend of baseball at Pioneer Park. The teams will play a round robin with each team playing the other two opponents twice. Davis & Elkins went 11-34 last season and finished seventh in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Notre Dame finished fourth in the Mountain East Conference's North Division and posted an 18-31 overall record. TC and Davis & Elkins last met in 2007, while the Pioneers and Notre Dame last met in 2013.
Tusculum hosts regional foe Lander on Feb. 20 as the Bearcats are coming off a 21-31 season and finished sixth in the Peach Belt Conference.
The Pioneers open conference play Feb. 23-24 when they host cross-mountain rival Mars Hill. The Lions finished fourth in the league and posted a 29-21 overall record. TC won two games in last year's series and haven't lost a home game to the Lions since 2013.
Tusculum wraps up the home-stand Mar. 2-3 with a three-game slate against Wingate. The Bulldogs won last year's series 2-1, but the Pioneers beat Wingate 7-4 in an elimination game of the SAC Tournament. The Bulldogs finished eighth in the SAC standings and went 19-31 on the year.
Tusculum travels to Young Harris on Mar. 6 to take on the Mountain Lions. Young Harris finished 12th in the Peach Belt and ended the season with a 15-30 worksheet. TC swept last year's doubleheader at Pioneer Park and have won the last six meetings dating back to 2014.
Tusculum travels to Lincoln Memorial for a three-game SAC series Mar. 9-10 at the new Hennon Field on the Harrogate, Tennessee campus. LMU went 35-19 last season for its second most win total in program history. The Railsplitters finished second in the regular season standings but went undefeated in the SAC Tournament to claim the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament where LMU went 2-2 at the Southeast Regional. The Railsplitters went 3-1 against the Pioneers last season, including an 11-7 win in the SAC Tournament.
The Pioneer return home Mar. 13 to host King University. The Tornado went 19-27 overall and finished eighth in the Conference Carolinas standings. TC and King did not play last season due to weather cancellations. The Pioneers have won four in a row over their in-state foes from Bristol.
Tusculum travels to Catawba Mar. 16-17 to take on the three-time defending conference champions. The Catawba Indians are coming off a 40-17 campaign which included three-game sweep over the Pioneers. Catawba, which claimed its 12th SAC title, advanced to the NCAA Tournament for a fourth straight year and ninth overall while finishing the year ranked 24th in the nation.
The Pioneers will be at Lee University on Mar. 20 to take on the Flames. Lee posted a 27-23 record and finished ninth in the Gulf South Conference. TC and Lee split last season's two meetings with the Pioneers winning 13-10 in Cleveland, while the Flames posting a 6-5 win at Pioneer Park.
Tusculum will host Winston-Salem State on Mar. 21 in a rematch to begin a nine-game home-stand.
Anderson comes to town Mar. 23-24 for a three-game league series at Pioneer Park. The Trojans went 16-32 overall and finished ninth in the league. TC swept last year's three-game set at Anderson and have won eight in row over the Trojans dating back to 2014.
Tusculum hosts Bellarmine for a pair of mid-week games on Mar. 27 and 28 in Greeneville. The Knights finished runner-up in the Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division and posted a 34-21 record. Bellarmine would move on to qualify for the NCAA Tournament as well. Tusculum won two of three games over the Knights last season in Greeneville.
The Pioneers will conclude the home-stand Mar. 30-31 when they welcome Newberry. The Wolves posted a third place finish in the conference and ended the year with a 32-21 overall record. Tusculum swept last year's three-game series and have won six of the last seven meetings.
Tusculum will play at King on Apr. 3 before traveling to Lenoir-Rhyne (Apr. 6-7) for a three-game SAC slate against the Bears. L-R went 22-26 last season and finished 10th in the conference. The teams did not play a league series last season, but split its two mid-week encounters. L-R won 4-1 at Tusculum but the Pioneers bounced back with a 9-4 win in Hickory.
Tusculum hosts Bluefield State on Apr. 11 as the Big Blues are coming off 13-34 campaign which included TC's doubleheader sweep at Pioneer Park.
The Pioneers hit the road for the final time Apr. 13-14 when TC travels to Coker for a three-game series. The Cobras went 29-24 and finished seventh in the conference. Coker won last year's series 2-1 at Tusculum.
The Pioneers will close out the regular season with its last five games at home. Tusculum will have a rematch with Lee University on Apr. 17. TC hosts arch-rival Carson-Newman for a three-game series Apr. 20-21. The two teams did not play a SAC series in 2017. TC won a mid-week game in Jefferson City before the Eagles eliminated Tusculum in the SAC Tournament two months later.
The Pioneers will host Young Harris on Apr. 24 to wrap up the regular season.
For a third straight year, the Pilot Flying J South Atlantic Conference Tournament will be played at Smokies Park in Kodak, Tennessee, Apr. 26-30, with the top eight teams in the final SAC standings earning bids to the league championship. The first day of the tournament pits the No. 5 seed against the No. 8 seed as well as the No. 6 seed against the No. 7 seed in single-elimination games to decide who advances to the double-elimination portion, which is the format for the remainder of the SAC Tournament.
The NCAA Tournament will begin May 17 with regional play being held throughout the country. The NCAA II College World Series returns to Cary, North Carolina after a one-year absence and will be held from May 26 through June 2 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.
