The UTRGV baseball team released its schedule for the 2023 season Tuesday featuring 55 games and the first home series against Houston since 1995 scheduled for March 3-5.
The Vaqueros open the season at UTRGV Baseball Stadium on Feb. 17 against Houston Christian. They will play 31 home games headlined by series against Central Michigan and Houston, as well as a midweek game against Texas State.
Fans can purchase season tickets online at UTRGVTickets.com or by contacting the UTRGV Ticket Sales and Operations team of Eddie Galvan (956-665-3415) and Ryela Rodriguez (956-665-3747) over the phone or through email at [email protected].
“It’s another tough schedule,” UTRGV head coach Derek Matlock said. “We’ve always played pretty good at home, so you hope that with a lot of home games, we can take care of business because we have some of the best teams in the conference coming here in California Baptist, Sam Houston and Grand Canyon, so you hope that’s a big advantage for us. It’ll be exciting for the fans. Outstanding teams coming here and it’ll be a lot of great baseball.
“Central Michigan was an at-large postseason team last year and has a lot of guys back. We’ve got our hands full because they’re not easy,” Matlock continued. “Houston coming in for a three-game series, that’s going to be a really attractive one. That’s a historical program that’s always in the Top 25. It’ll be an exciting weekend. Texas State is coming off a regional, one game away from the supers. It’s a really tough schedule from top to bottom.”
UTRGV opens the season Feb. 17-19 with a three-game home series against Houston Christian. The Vaqueros remain at home for the first 11 games of the season. They’ll play five-straight against Central Michigan, one of three postseason teams UTRGV hosts this season, starting with a single game on Feb. 21 and followed by a four-game series Feb. 24-26. UTRGV closes the homestand with a three-game set against Houston as part of the Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor induction weekend and Varsity Club weekend March 3-5.
The Vaqueros will play one game at Rice and then return to UTRGV Baseball Stadium for an eight-game homestand starting with a Western Athletic Conference (WAC) opening series against California Baptist March 10-12. UTRGV hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as part of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union, on March 14 and closes the homestand with a conference series against Sam Houston State March 17-19 and a single game against UTSA on March 21.
After a trip to New Mexico State for a conference series March 24-26, UTRGV returns home for a single game against Texas State on March 28, a WAC series against Tarleton March 31-April 2 and game two of the South Texas Showdown presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on April 4.
The Vaqueros will play 11 games on the road in April, starting with a three-game series at Houston Christian, the South Texas Showdown presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union finale at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, a three-game WAC series at Utah Valley, and a single game at Incarnate Word.
The Vaqueros return home for a conference series against Abilene Christian April 21-23 and a single game against Incarnate Word, then close the month with a conference series at UT Arlington April 28-30.
UTRGV opens May with a non-conference game at TCU on May 2 before heading to Sacramento State for a conference series May 5-7. The Vaqueros visit Texas A&M, which played in the 2022 College World Series, in College Station on May 9. The final home series of the regular season is a three-game WAC set against Grand Canyon May 12-14. The Vaqueros close out the regular season with one game at Lamar on May 16 and a three-game WAC series at Stephen F. Austin May 18-20.
The top eight teams advance to the WAC Tournament, which is scheduled for May 23-27 at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz. The WAC Tournament Champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“The WAC is a 13-team conference and only eight make it to the conference tournament, so we better be ready to play when conference comes,” Matlock said. “California Baptist was one of the best teams the last three years and now they’re eligible for the tournament, and you throw in Utah Tech, they’re outstanding, too. We’d like to get into regionals, whether through the WAC Tournament or as an at-large bid, and if you don’t play the best teams, you can’t get an at-large. If we can take care of teams like TCU and Texas A&M on the road, then you got a chance to get an at-large.”
Outside of the Central Michigan series, all home games except for Sunday contests are scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday home games will start at 12 p.m. Gates open one hour prior to first pitch.
2023 UTRGV BASEBALL SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
Feb. 17 Houston Christian 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 18 Houston Christian 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 19 Houston Christian Noon
Feb. 21 Central Michigan 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 24 Central Michigan 3 p.m.
Feb. 24 Central Michigan 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 25 Central Michigan 11 a.m.
Feb. 26 Central Michigan 11 a.m.
Mar. 3 Houston 6:30 p.m.
Mar. 4 Houston 6:30 p.m.
Mar. 5 Houston Noon
Mar. 7 at Rice TBD
Mar. 10 California Baptist 6:30 p.m.
Mar. 11 California Baptist 6:30 p.m.
Mar. 12 California Baptist Noon
Mar. 14 Texas A&M-CC 6:30 p.m.
Mar. 17 Sam Houston State 6:30 p.m.
Mar. 18 Sam Houston State 6:30 p.m.
Mar. 19 Sam Houston State Noon
Mar. 21 Texas-San Antonio 6:30 p.m.
Mar. 24 at New Mexico State TBD
Mar. 25 at New Mexico State TBD
Mar. 26 at New Mexico State TBD
Mar. 28 Texas State 6:30 p.m.
Mar. 31 Tarleton 6:30 p.m.
Apr. 1 Tarleton 6:30 p.m.
Apr. 2 Tarleton Noon
Apr. 4 Texas A&M-CC TBD
Apr. 6 at Houston Christian 2 p.m.
Apr. 7 at Houston Christian 2 p.m.
Apr. 8 at Houston Christian 1 p.m.
Apr. 11 at Texas A&M-CC TBD
Apr. 14 at Utah Valley TBD
Apr. 15 at Utah Valley TBD
Apr. 16 at Utah Valley TBD
Apr. 18 at Incarnate Word TBD
Apr. 21 Abilene Christian 6:30 p.m.
Apr. 22 Abilene Christian 6:30 p.m.
Apr. 23 Abilene Christian Noon
Apr. 25 Incarnate Word 6:30 p.m.
Apr. 28 at UT Arlington TBD
Apr. 29 at UT Arlington TBD
Apr. 30 at UT Arlington TBD
May 2 at Texas Christian 6 p.m.
May 5 at Sacramento State TBD
May 6 at Sacramento State TBD
May 7 at Sacramento State TBD
May 9 at Texas A&M 6 p.m.
May 12 Grand Canyon 6:30 p.m.
May 13 Grand Canyon 6:30 p.m.
May 14 Grand Canyon Noon
May 16 at Lamar 6 p.m.
May 18 at Stephen F. Austin TBD
May 19 at Stephen F. Austin TBD
May 20 at Stephen F. Austin TBD
May 23-27 WAC Tournament TBD
Jun. 2-5 NCAA Regionals TBD
Jun. 9-11 NCAA Super Regionals TBD
Jun. 16-26 College World Series TBD
