Baseball Embarks on 2015 Season With Playoff Aspirations

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) baseball team will seek their fourth straight winning season and a third straight appearance in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Small College World Series when they kick off their 2015 campaign in four weeks.

The Bears capped their most successful season last year with an opening-round victory in the USCAA Small College World Series against Penn State-Greater Allegheny, their first postseason win in program history, ending their second-straight 20-win season at 29-11. 

The squad will enter its eighth varsity season under a new but familiar face with former Associate Head Coach Jerry Sidman promoted in the fall to become the third head coach in program history. 

St. Joseph's will open the season for the second consecutive year traveling to Winter Haven, Florida for the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. The Bears aim to reverse the results at last year's invitational with three games against Brandeis (Massachusetts) (Feb. 19 & 20) and a doubleheader with Alma (Michigan) (Feb 21).

The Bears open a packed seven-date home schedule in March with doubleheaders against Albertus Magnus (Mar. 1) and Southern Vermont (Mar. 7) at new home Narrows Field at Calvert Vaux Park in Gravesend, Brooklyn. Then the team plays on the road with twinbills against Lehman (Mar. 8) and Maritime (N.Y.) (Mar. 14). The second half consists of home doubleheaders against Yeshiva (Mar. 15), John Jay (Mar. 21), CCNY (Mar. 22) and SUNY Canton (Mar. 28 & 29).

St. Joseph's will return to MCU Park, home of the Mets' single-A affiliate Brooklyn Cyclones, in April for a three-game set with New York University—who brings back varsity baseball for the first time since 1974—on April 10th and 11th. That weekend will be action packed with a road double dip against cross bridge rivals Staten Island on April 12th.

The Bears will celebrate Senior Day on April 18th hosting Valley Forge Christian in a doubleheader at the SJC Outdoor Complex, one of six dates at the Patchogue, N.Y. facility. They return the following day for a key USCAA matchup against Briarcliffe who also qualified for the 2014 Small College World Series as the No. 5 seed, just one spot ahead of the Bears.

Also circled on the calendar is a long-awaited "East vs. West" matchup against sister campus St. Joseph's (Long Island) on April 26th, the first varsity meeting between the two squads after being canceled due to weather last season.

They close out the regular season with home showdowns at Narrows Field against Purchase (Apr. 29), Cairn (Apr. 30) and CUNYAC foe Baruch (May 2).

In their final season as an independent, the Bears will gear up for Skyline Conference play in 2016 against four future league rivals—Maritime, Purchase, St. Joseph's (L.I.) and Yeshiva.

The goal for the Bears is making the post-season, either qualifying for their first NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid or returning to the USCAA Small College World Series for the third consecutive season, which will take place from May 10-14 at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, Virginia.

2015 Bears Baseball Schedule - Web
2015 Bears Baseball Schedule - PDF