Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina and first-year head coach Alan Beck today unveiled the squad's 55-game schedule for 2023 that opens in mid-February. The slate includes 26 home dates at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium and a total of nine games against five different teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament a season ago including three that advanced to the Super Regionals.
 
The 2023 season culminates with the annual Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases, May 24-28, 2023, again scheduled for Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, S.C. The tournament champion earns the league's automatic bid into the NCAA postseason field.
 
"We're excited about our 2023 schedule," said Beck, who was a three-time All-SoCon selection from 2000-03. "In keeping with the tradition of Catamount baseball, our nonconference schedule is very challenging. This program historically will play just about anyone, anywhere. The nature of our nonconference schedule will help prepare us for a competitive Southern Conference."
 
Western Carolina's 2023 baseball schedule features opponents from a combined 12 conferences this season including 21 games against Southern Conference competition with three series at home – VMI (April 6-8), Wofford (April 14-16), and The Citadel (May 12-14) and four, three-game series on the road, at UNCG (March 24-26), at Mercer (March 31-April 2), at ETSU (April 28-30) and at Samford (May 5-7).
 
The Catamounts also have nine combined games slated against opponents from each of the Power Five conferences. WCU visits in-state ACC foe North Carolina (March 7), before facing both Kansas of the Big 12 and squaring off twice against host Michigan State of the Big Ten at Fluor Field in the First Pitch Invitational March 10-11. Additional Power Five road trips include twice venturing into SEC territory with regional rivals Tennessee (March 21) and Georgia (May 16), and a regular-season finale three-game series at Pac-12 member Oregon State (May 18-20).
 
The 2023 schedule also features four familiar foes in mid-week, nonconference home-and-home meetings with Big South Conference opposition including Presbyterian (Clinton, S.C., Feb. 22; Cullowhee, May 9), Gardner-Webb (Boiling Springs, March 1; Cullowhee, April 25), USC Upstate (Cullowhee, April 4; Spartanburg, S.C., April 18), and mountain-rival UNC Asheville (Asheville, April 11; Cullowhee, May 3). WCU also hosts the Radford Highlanders for a three-game weekend set March 17-19.
 
The Catamounts open the season with 10 of their first 12 games at home with three weekend series including visits from Mid-American Conference (MAC) Akron on Feb. 17-19 for a four-game set, with Big East foe Xavier coming to Cullowhee Feb. 24-26, before hosting Eastern Kentucky out of the Ohio Valley Conference March 3-5. In mid-March, WCU faces its first of two former SoCon foes as it travels to Kannapolis, N.C., to face the Davidson Wildcats (March 14) at Atrium Health Ballpark, home of the Carolina League Kannapolis Cannon Ballers – the Class-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.
 
WCU also ventures to the South Carolina Lowcountry to tangle with former league foe, the College of Charleston – now in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) – April 21-23. It's the first meeting between the Catamounts and Cougars since 2013 as WCU took 2-of-3 at Patriot's Point.
 
The regular-season closes with four-straight scheduled games against Power Five competition as the Catamounts visit Georgia (May 16) before the first-ever meetings with Oregon State (May 18-20) in Corvallis, Ore. The Beavers represent the sixth school currently in the Pac-12 that the Catamounts have faced on the baseball diamond since 1992 with WCU posting a 7-4 record all-time.
 
A listing of game day promotions and a complete broadcast schedule including plans for Catamount Sports Network audio and ESPN+ (paid subscription required) will be made available closer to the season.
 
Season tickets at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium for the rapidly approaching 2023 Catamount baseball season are on sale now through the Catamount Athletics ticket office, located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center, or by phone at (828) 227-2401. Tickets can also be purchased online by visiting CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets. Season ticket prices start at just $51 for adult general admission or $26 for youth general admission. Additional seating options include field level chair back seats and upper-reserved chair backs under cover beneath the press box.
 
Single-game tickets will go on sale in February.
 
Catamount Athletics will continue its Clear Bag policy at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium while introducing alcohol sales at home games in Cullowhee, an addition that was originally delayed due to stadium access because of the construction of both the structured parking facility and the stadium enclosures.
 
Western Carolina begins preparations for the 2023 season in mid-January with the start of the spring semester on-campus with the first official team practice of the spring scheduled for Friday, Jan. 27.
 
"We've been busy since returning to Cullowhee over the summer. I really feel good about the talented assistant coaching staff I've put together to help lead this program," said Beck. "As a team, we had a tremendous fall as we've looked to build on the foundation of our returning talent, while also adding a few pieces that should help us right away when we open the season in February. We're looking forward to Opening Weekend against Akron here in Cullowhee."
 
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