Thursday, October 13, 2005

SAINTS BASEBALL RELEASES 2006 SCHEDULE
North Georgia Travels to the Aloha State and Hosts 25 Home Games

Dahlonega, Ga. – Seventh year head coach Tom Cantrell announced today the 2006 North Georgia College & State University baseball schedule. This season's schedule is highlighted by an early season series against Hawaii Pacific University and 12 home games against Peach Belt Conference rivals.

In their final season as a member of the NAIA, the Saints finished 57-15 overall and 24-9 in the Southern States Athletic Conference. North Georgia tore through the SSAC Tournament to win the Tournament Championship with five straight wins in route to a NAIA Region XIII Tournament appearance. The Saints finished the season ranked 18th in the nation and had three alumni called up to the professional baseball ranks.

This season, North Georgia opens its season with a three game home stand against Claflin University on February 2nd before heading out to Honolulu, Hawaii for a series against Hawaii Pacific University February 9th through 11th. The Saints continue their road trip to Pensacola, Fla. as they take on the University of West Florida for three games beginning on the 18th. North Georgia has a single game against the University of Montevallo on the 22nd before opening league play on the road against Armstrong Atlantic University on the 25th.

March opens up with a single game against the University of West Georgia on the 1st and two double-headers on the road at the University of Alabama-Huntsville. North Georgia will host former conference rival Southern Wesleyan University for a single game on the 8th and then take on Barton College in a three game set the 10th through the 12th. Heading west, the Saints will play the University of West Alabama for two games on the 15th and 16th and then travel down to Columbus, Ga. to play Columbus State University on the 17th and 18th in a three game PBC series. North Georgia will take on Emory University in a night game on the 22nd before hosting USC Aiken on the 25th and 26th for their conference home opener. The Saints will close out the month of March with a home game against SWU on the 28th.

A PBC series opens the final stretch of the season as the Saints play Francis Marion University on April 1st and 2nd. North Georgia continues on the road for a single game against Montevallo on the 4th and then returns home for a game against Anderson College on the 5th. The Saints will travel to AC on the 6th and then welcome UNC-Pembroke for a three game series on the 8th and 9th. North Georgia hits the road again for a five game set beginning with two games against Pfeiffer University on the 11th and 12th. A conference series against rival Georgia College & State University follows on the 14th and 15th before the Saints return home for a five game home stand. West Georgia comes calling on the 18th with USC Upstate coming into Dahlonega for three games on the 21st and 22nd. North Greenville College closes out the set with an 8:00 p.m. game on the 26th. A trip to West Georgia on the 27th and then a PBC set against Augusta State University in the 29th and 30th closes out April. North Georgia finishes the season on the road against Lander University on the 5th and 6th in Greenwood, S.C.

The Saints return three NAIA All-Americans, seniors Brian Lauderdale and Ryan Gurley , and junior Justin Rickett , and a team that blasted 56 home runs, scored 704 runs, tallied 547 strikeouts, and had a team batting average of .346 and a team ERA of 3.38.

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