NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Head coach Matt McDonald and the St. Olaf College baseball program officially announced the Oles' 38-game schedule for the upcoming 2023 season on Friday.
This spring, St. Olaf will play six games in Iowa before heading to Florida for eight games at the Russmatt Central Florida Invitational. In their non-conference schedule, the Oles will also play single games against UW-La Crosse and Concordia University-St. Paul, as well as a doubleheader against Crown College late in the season.
"We have a challenging non-conference schedule to prepare us for the always-tough Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) season," said McDonald, who is entering his 28th season leading the program. "Our schedule includes eight games against 2022 NCAA Regional teams, as well as other top programs in the region."
St. Olaf is slated to open its season on Saturday, March 4 with a doubleheader at Simpson College in the first meetings between the two programs since 1993. After wrapping up a three-game set with the Storm the next day, the Oles have nearly two weeks off before heading back to Iowa for three games against Wartburg College – the 2022 American Rivers Conference runner-up – on Saturday and Sunday, March 18-19.
In Florida, St. Olaf will play eight games against four different opponents, beginning with doubleheaders against St. Lawrence University (March 23) and Colby College (March 24). The Oles are also scheduled for a single game against Kalamazoo College (March 25) and three games against Augustana College (Ill.) (March 26-29), which are both programs who appeared in the NCAA Tournament last season.
After wrapping up its trip, St. Olaf begins its MIAC schedule with consecutive home doubleheaders against Augsburg University (April 1), Hamline University (April 4), and Saint Mary's University (April 8) to begin a run of eight-straight home games. The Oles conclude the string of home games against Concordia-St. Paul (April 10) and UW-La Crosse (April 13).
In mid-April, St. Olaf has four-straight road doubleheaders, including three against teams that qualified for the MIAC Playoffs last season, before returning home to host the College of St. Scholastica (April 29) to close out the month. The Oles host crosstown-rival Carleton College (May 2) in their final scheduled home games before taking on Crown (May 3) – an NCAA Tournament team a year ago – and Gustavus Adolphus College (May 6) to conclude the regular season.
This season's roster includes 31 returners and 13 newcomers (12 first years, one transfer), as the Oles seek their 23rd winning season under McDonald's direction this spring.
