DUE WEST, S.C. - Erskine College Baseball head coach Mark Crocco announced his team's 2023 Schedule on Thursday afternoon. The Flying Fleet will play 21 games at home this season including a neutral contest in beautiful downtown Greenville at Flour Field against Limestone University. The Fleet will also make a trip to south Florida in the second week of the season as they take on Lynn, Barry and Nova Southeastern. The Conference Carolinas schedule will field one of the best slates in the country as it sent three teams to the Southeast regional in 2022. Erskine will have an opportunity to build on their recent success as they won 17 games in the league including wins over the 2021 National Champions, Wingate, and the reigning National Champions, North Greenville.
 
"We are extremely excited to announce one of our most challenging schedules in our program's history," Crocco said. "We have worked very hard this fall to create an environment where our players are comfortable competing on big stages, to achieve the goals that we have set to become one of the premier programs in our region. A majority of our players are from the state of Florida and we felt this was a great year to give them an opportunity to go back to the Sunshine State and show their families and communities what Erskine Baseball is all about. Conference Carolinas has proven to be one the best leagues in the country and we are honored to continue to compete against the best teams the southeast region has to offer."
 
Opening Weekend Rivalry Series Vs. Cross-Town Rival Lander University
The Erskine College baseball season gets underway with a rivalry series against cross-town rival Lander University. The Fleet won the 3-game series last year against Lander after an extremely competitive series finished late in the year with a mid-week victory at Grier Field.  Erskine will to continue their recent success as they will play host to Lander University at Grier Field on opening day Thursday February 2, 2023. Lander will host the rest of the weekend at Dolny Stadium in Greenwood, S.C. Game 2 will be Friday, February 3 and the final game will be played on Saturday at 3 pm. "This has become a great tradition for our program," Crocco said. "Coach Burke has been a long time friend and we have had a chance to find out a lot about our teams over the years by opening the season in this rivalry series. It will be a great opportunity for the local community to come out and support both teams and see what the highest level of Division II baseball looks like."
 
The Fleet Travel to the Sunshine State
Erskine will travel to South Florida and take on some of the best competition the state has to offer. The Fleet will play in Boca Raton at Lynn University on Thursday February 9 at 2:00 to open the weekend series. Game 2 will take the Fleet to Miami-Dade County on Friday, February 10 under the lights at Barry University. The Fleet will wrap up the road series at perennial powerhouse and 2016 National Champions, Nova Southeastern for Game 3, slated for a 4:00 pm first pitch.

"This will be a great test for our players early in the season. Our goal is to elevate the competition level early so we can grow as a team as we prepare for the vigorous Conference Carolinas schedule. We are extremely thankful to all of these outstanding programs that gave us a chance to bring our players back to the state of Florida where they can compete in front of their friends and families as an Erskine Baseball player for the first time," Crocco said.
 
Conference Carolinas 2023 Schedule
The 2023 Conference Carolinas schedule will begin on the road in Bristol, Tennessee against King University on February 17 – 18. The Fleet will return home to Grier Field as they play host the next two weekends against 2022 Southeast Regional selections Belmont Abbey College, February 24 – 25, and Francis Marion University, March 3-4. The following week, the Fleet will travel to Tigerville, S.C.to play the defending National Champion North Greenville Crusaders on the weekend of March 10 - 11. Week 5 of Conference Carolinas competition will be on the road at familiar territory in Wilson, N.C. against Barton March 17-18. The Fleet will return the friendly confines of Grier Field March 24 - 25 as they take on Chowan University for a 3-game set. Then, Erskine will travel to another 2022 Regional Selection, UNC Pembroke, in a pivotal road series March 31 – April 1. After that, Erskine takes on perennial conference power, Mount Olive, at home for a 3-game series April 7-8. The Fleet will wrap up on the road at Southern Wesleyan on April 21-22 before hosting Emmanuel for senior weekend on April 28-29 in Due West.

For the entire 2023 Erskine Baseball schedule, click here.

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