The UND baseball team's first chance to break in the newly installed artificial turf in an actual game at Kraft Field will come April 1, a date earlier in the spring than in the past thanks to the fresh surface.
And the Sioux will open up the home schedule at Kraft against no ordinary opponent.
UND will host rival North Dakota State on April 1 and 3, while the Bison will host the Sioux in a doubleheader on April 2. The four-game series highlights the team's program-record 53-game schedule, which was announced by the school Wednesday.
The Sioux-Bison series was played in the Metrodome last season, where UND took three of four from NDSU.
"You never know about the weather in early April in North Dakota, but I don't think it's going to matter," Sioux third-year coach Jeff Dodson said. "No matter the weather, I think there'll be a very good crowd, and it's big to generate interest in the state. It also gives us a chance to test out the turf before our conference season starts."
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The Sioux will also play host to the Great West Conference tournament, which runs from May 24-28 at Kraft Field. In total, UND has 19 home games scheduled.
UND opens the season against college baseball power Wichita State on Feb. 25-27. The Shockers are ranked No. 23 in Collegiate Baseball's preseason poll.
The Sioux begin GWC play April 8 against Houston Baptist in Houston, beginning a stretch of seven conference series.
"It's going to be an exciting year, culminating with the Great West tournament here in Grand Forks," Dodson said. "We also have quite a few more regular season games this year, which will provide a great chance for our fans to check out the new field and support our team."
Miller reports on sports. Reach him at (701) 780-1121; (800) 477-6572, ext. 121; or send e-mail to tmiller@gfherald.com .
UND baseball
schedule
Feb. 25-27 -- at Wichita State
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March 3-5 -- at Missouri State; March 8 -- at Kansas; March 9 -- vs. Saint Mary in Lawrence, Kan.; March 11-13 -- at Southeast Missouri State; March 15 -- vs. Northern Illinois in St. Louis; March 16 -- at Saint Louis; March 18-20 -- at Nebraska; March 26-27 -- at Creighton
April 1 -- vs. North Dakota State; April 2 -- at North Dakota State; April 3 -- vs. North Dakota State; April 8-10 -- at Houston Baptist; April 13 -- at South Dakota State; April 15-17 -- vs. Utah Valley; April 22-24 -- at New Jersey Tech; April 29-May 1 -- vs. Chicago State
May 6-8 -- at Northern Colorado; May 13-15 -- vs. New Jersey Tech; May 17 -- vs. South Dakota State; May 19-21 -- vs. Texas-Pan American; May 24-28 -- at Great West Championship in Grand Forks
