The defending Western Athletic Conference champion UTRGV Vaqueros released their loaded 56-game 2021 schedule Thursday with the start of the season less than a month away.
The schedule features seven nonconference games against Power 5 competition, 28 home games to be played at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in Edinburg, and nine WAC series — five at home, four on the road.
“I think the balance in our schedule is outstanding,” UTRGV head coach Derek Matlock said in a news release. “We face some outstanding teams on the road and that’s exciting. We’re playing a very tough schedule. It’s going to be a great test.”
Opening day for UTRGV is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 19, as the Vaqueros host Lamar in the Al Ogletree Classic at UTRGV Baseball Stadium. First pitch is set for 1 p.m., with games 2 and 3 of the three-game series slated for 2 p.m. Feb. 20 and noon Feb. 21.
UTRGV will then launch into five straight games against Power 5 competition with a matchup versus Baylor on Feb. 23, followed by a four-game road series against Washington from Feb. 26-March 1. The Vaqueros’ two other Power 5 games this season are scheduled for March 16 against No. 9 Texas in Austin, and May 11 against TCU in Fort Worth. UTRGV will also face No. 21-ranked Dallas Baptist on March 25-28 in a four-game nonconference series.
“You want to be UTRGV, you want to be a team that can go beat some of the best teams in the country. If you don’t have that opportunity, you can’t do it,” Matlock said. “We have the opportunity with Baylor, with Texas, with TCU, Washington and DBU. It gives us a chance to see where we fall with the best teams in the country — teams that can go to Omaha, teams that can win a national championship. To be the best, you have to play the best, and that’s how you develop.”
UTRGV will begin its WAC regular season title defense March 12 with a four-game road series against Grand Canyon.
UTRGV’s WAC home opener is slated for April 1 against California Baptist, which is also the first of a run of 14 of 15 games at home for the Vaqueros.
In WAC play, UTRGV will host CBU, Utah Valley, Seattle, Tarleton State and Northern Colorado, while traveling for conference road series against GCU, Dixie State, New Mexico State, and the regular season’s final series against Sacramento State from May 20-22.
One change to conference play in the WAC this season is each series will consist of four games with a doubleheader on Saturday, compared to three-game series in the past. The first game of each doubleheader will be scheduled to last seven innings, while the second game will be scheduled for the full nine innings.
“It’s going to be demanding. It’s going to take a team that’s more conditioned, a deeper pitching staff, a deeper bullpen and an extra starter,” Matlock said of the change to four-game series. “The team that has the best pitching staff and the most depth in the conference is going to have a chance to win more conference games. You can get through a three-game series and be OK. But with a four-game series, you’re going to get exposed without a great pitching staff and great bullpen.”
The top six teams in the WAC advance to the WAC Tournament, which runs May 26-30 at Hohokam Stadium, the spring training home of the Oakland Athletics, in Mesa, Arizona. The WAC Tournament champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“The things I’m hearing about some of the other teams, such as Grand Canyon, Sacramento State, California Baptist, Dixie State, Utah Valley and all these other teams is how good they are and how excited their coaching staff are. I think this could be a year in which the WAC gets an at-large,” Matlock said. “I think there’s that many good teams in the league. The coaches are outstanding, and the student-athletes play hard. It’s just an exciting time in the WAC right now with as good as our teams have become.”
UTRGV will have COVID-19 protocols in place for the upcoming baseball season that includes limiting the number of fans to 1,000, requiring masks at all times, except while actively eating or drinking, temperature checks at the gate and social distancing around the stadium. For more information on game day procedures, visit GoUTRGV.com/game-day. For ticket information, visit GoUTRGV.com.
