GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University has released its 2021 baseball schedule which features a 40-game slate announced TU head coach Brandon Steele. (2021 SCHEDULE)

For the 2021 campaign only, NCAA Division II has shortened the maximum number games to 40 contests from 50. Also added for the 2021 season, the SAC has instituted a 32-game league schedule with eight 4-game series being contested (a 5-game increase from 2020). The Pioneers will play 21 home games and 19 on the road culmniating with the Pilot/Flying J SAC Baseball Championship in April.

The Pioneers return 27 lettermen from last year's squad that finished the COVID-19 shortened season with a 15-10 record, including wins in five of their last six games before the stoppage. TU brings back its top six hitters including two-time All-American second baseman Daulton Martin and All-SAC infielder Bryson Ford.

"Our players and staff are excited to have to opportunity to compete again this spring and adjust with the challenges ahead," said Steele. "With the NCAA changes for the 2021 season we still feel that we have been able to put together a very challenging non-conference schedule. Indianapolis is a program with a long history of competing in their league and region which will help us prepare for the rigorous SAC schedule ahead. Combined with very good Young Harris, Lee and Belmont Abby programs for non-conference opponents and a home-and-home mid-week series with Lenoir Rhyne, we will be challenged each time we take the field."

Tusculum will open the season on Feb. 16 when the Sons of Davy Crockett travel to Young Harris. The Mountain Lions posted a 9-9 record last year including a 16-6 road loss at Tusculum. Young Harris won the 2019 Peach Belt Conference Tournament and earned the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Tusculum will host Indianapolis for a three-game series from Feb. 20-21 at Pioneer Park. The Greyhounds finished last year with a 12-3 record and will be making their inaugural trip to Greeneville. UIndy ended the shortened season tied for third place in the Great Lakes Valley Conference standings.

The Pioneers open conference play Feb. 27-28 when they host UVA Wise for a four-game set. The Cavaliers posted an 11-10 record in its inaugural season in the SAC including a pair of wins walk-off wins at Tusculum. Last year's series was originally slated to be played at Wise, but was moved to Greeneville due to weather conditions. UVA Wise finished in a three-way tie for ninth in the conference.

The Pioneers travel to Mars Hill the weekend of Mar. 6-7 to take on their cross-mountain rivals. The Lions went 7-16 last season and tied for fifth place in the league. The two teams last met in 2019 as TU came away with a pair of wins in a three-game series at MHU's Henderson Field.

Tusculum returns home on Mar. 9 to host Lenoir-Rhyne in the first of two non-conference meetings with the Bears. L-R posted a 15-11 worksheet last season and return to Pioneer Park for the first time since being swept in three games by Tusculum in 2019. The Bears were in a four-way tie for fifth place in the conference when the season was halted.

Queens University of Charlotte visits Tusculum Mar. 13-14 for a weekend series. The Royals went 4-19 with all of their victories coming in conference play resulting in being deadlocked for fifth place. The two teams first met in 2019 with the Pioneers sweeping a home series over the Royals.

Tusculum ventures to Lincoln Memorial on Mar. 20-21 for a SAC series with the Railsplitters. LMU went 10-14 a year ago and were tied for ninth place in the SAC. TU snapped a five-game skid against the Railsplitters with a 7-5 win in 2019 in Greeneville.

The Pioneers host Newberry Mar. 27-28 for a SAC series at Tusculum. The Wolves jumped out to an 18-6 record to start the season and were tied for second in the league standings when the season ended. Newberry is a year removed from its 41-16 campaign in 2019 where the Wolves won the SAC Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The teams last met in the 2019 SAC Tournament where the top-seeded Wolves eliminated Tusculum.

Tusculum will close out the month of March with a home game against in-state foe Lee University (Mar. 30). The Flames ended 2020 with a four-game winning streak including a sweep over nationally-ranked Valdosta State to finish 14-9. The Flames finished 2020 tied for fourth place in the Gulf South Conference. The two teams did not play last year as Lee swept the two meetings in 2019.

After opening the season playing 17 of its first 26 games at home, the Pioneers will begin April with 10 straight on the road beginning with a Apr. 2-3 series at Anderson. The Trojans went 10-12 last year and have lost 13 of the last 15 decisions to the Pioneers. AU was tied for ninth place in the league standings at season's end.

The Pioneers travel to Lenoir-Rhyne on Apr. 7 for a rematch with the Bears before going to arch-rival Carson-Newman for a four-game series (Apr. 10-11) at the Silver Diamond Complex. The Eagles went 15-10 and were in sole possession of fourth place in the league standings when the season ended. The Pioneers and Eagles met in a mid-week non-conference game with TU winning 9-4. Tusculum has won four of its last five games in Jefferson City.

TU closes out the 10-game road swing on Apr. 14 for a regional match-up at Belmont Abbey. The Crusaders went 13-12 and were in tied for fourth place in Conference Carolinas. The Pioneers won two of the three meetings last year with Belmont Abbey.

Tusculum closes out the regular season Apr. 17-18 with a home series with SAC-newcomer Limestone.  The Saints were 6-17 overall in 2020 and were tied for seventh place in Conference Carolinas. The Pioneers and Limestone will meet on the baseball diamond for the first time since 2012 as TU swept the two meetings that year and have won the last three encounters with the Saints.

For a fifth consecutive season, the Pilot/Flying J South Atlantic Conference Baseball Tournament will be conducted at Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tennessee (Apr. 22-26) 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.

"This season will require a lot of adjusting day-to-day and week-to-week but I think our players will be able to embrace the challenges and stay focused," Steele added.

The NCAA Regionals will be conducted in May with regional play being held throughout the country. Due to the pandemic, the NCAA has trimmed the tournament field size from 56 teams to 42 for the upcoming 2021 season.

The NCAA II College World Series will be held in Cary, North Carolina from June 5-12 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.