Rams Baseball Squad Readies for Opening Series with Northeast Regional Powers

The Philadelphia University baseball team opens up their 2008 season with a three-game homestand versus the two teams who competed for the NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Championship in 2007.

First up for Head Coach Mark Heineman's club is an opening doubleheader on Sunday, March 9 at 12:00 noon vs. Franklin Pierce University, the defending Northeast Regional champions and ranked #2 nationally by Baseball America in their 2008 preseason poll.  The twinbill against the Ravens will be followed by a single game vs. Bryant University on Monday, March 10 at 2:30 p.m.  The Bulldogs were the runners-up in the Northeast Regional of the NCAA Division II tournament last spring, and they are ranked third in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Northeast Region preseason poll.

The non-conference portion of the Rams' schedule continues at #20 West Chester University on Wednesday, March 13 and then the team takes their spring trip south the week of March 17-20 to face top Division II teams from the state of Georgia, including #14 Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Ga. for two games on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 18-19.

The 27-game Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) slate opens on Thursday, March 27 with a doubleheader at University of the Sciences at Richie Ashburn Field in South Philadelphia.

Coach Heineman believes that the challenging non-conference slate will certainly provide an early test for the Rams, but a few wins against such top-caliber opponents could give the team a confidence boost heading into a demanding CACC schedule.  "We're viewing the strength of our schedule as an opportunity to prove to ourselves that we're capable of competing with the best teams in our region.  If we're successful, in turn, then we'll be poised to make a run at the best teams in the CACC."

Philadelphia University was selected to finish fifth according to the CACC pre-season coaches poll conducted recently.  Four teams qualify for the conference's postseason tournament which will be hosted by Wilmington University from May 8-10.  The complete rundown of the pre-season poll appears at the end of this story.

Lastly, a reminder to be sure to mark your calendars for March 9-10 to support the Rams' baseball team at Alumni Field as they open their 2008 campaign against the best of the Northeast Region.

CACC Baseball

2008 Preseason Coaches' Poll

                                        School                                            2007 Records             Points

                                        1.     Caldwell (8)                           25-15/11-5 CACC             98

                                        2.     Wilmington (2)                     29-20/10-6                        90

                                        3.     Dominican                             19-19/9-7                         80

                                        4.     Felician                                  23-26/10-6                       62

                                        5.     Philadelphia                          14-21/8-8                         58

                                        6.     Bloomfield                             15-23/6-10                       48

                                        7.     Post                                        18-20/8-8                       45

                                        8.     Nyack                                     10-29/7-9                        36

                                        9.     USP                                        5-25/3-13                        23

                                        10.   Chestnut Hill                         NA                                    10

                                        ()-First Place Votes