LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena Baseball is set to embark upon its milestone 50^th season under the direction of head coach Tony Rossi by playing one of its most ambitious schedules in program history. The Saints' 56-game regular season slate is highlighted by 15 contests vs. teams which played in last year's NCAA Tournament.

Siena's challenging schedule features 24 games against programs which won 30 or more games last spring, including each of the first 14 contests to kick off the 2019 season. For the second straight year the Saints are slated to open the season with a 22-game road trip, before returning to the Capital Region for the first time in late March to commence their 19-game home schedule.

"I'm excited about this year's schedule," said Rossi. "We will play some quality non-conference teams early in the season as usual, and that is great for figuring out who we are as a team."

For the ninth time in the past 10 seasons Siena will commence play in Florida, and will ultimately play its first 11 games of 2019 in the Sunshine State. For the seventh time in the last nine years, the Saints will open their season at perennial regional power Central Florida for a three-game series Feb. 15-17.

Siena then takes on last year's national darling Stetson for a four-game wraparound weekend series Feb. 23-26. The Atlantic Sun Champions posted a 48-13 record last spring while advancing to the Super Regionals, and were ranked sixth nationally in the final NCBWA Top-25 Poll and seventh in the RPI.  The Saints conclude their Florida swing in Fort Myers Feb. 28 – Mar. 2, with a three-game weekend set at fellow ASUN contender Florida Gulf Coast.

Siena's season-opening road trip continues with matchups at defending Colonial Athletic Association Champion UNC Wilmington (Mar. 9-10), Bowling Green (Mar. 16-17), and Atlantic Coast Conference foe Boston College (Mar. 20), before wrapping up with a trip to Western New York to battle defending MAAC Champion Canisius to open league action Mar. 23-24.

"The strength of the early part of the schedule will be a huge indicator of where we are individual skill wise, as this is the youngest squad we have ever had," added Rossi, who is set to coach a program-record 18 freshmen this spring.

The home opener is scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 27 at 3 p.m. at Connors Park vs. reigning Patriot League Champions Army West Point. The Saints are also slated to host Fordham (Apr. 10), Central Connecticut (Apr. 16), Dartmouth (Apr. 24), and 2018 NCAA Tournament participant Northeastern (May 4-5) in home non-conference action this spring.

Siena will enjoy a span where they play 11 of 12 at home from Apr. 16 – May 5, featuring a season long seven-game homestand. In addition to the aforementioned non-conference tilts, the Saints will welcome league foes Quinnipiac (Apr. 19-20) and Iona (Apr. 27-28) to Connors Park during the stretch.

Additional highlights to Siena's 2019 schedule include a non-conference matchup at defending Northeast Conference Champion LIU Brooklyn (Apr. 23), before concluding regular season action at league rival Marist (May 17-18).

For the second straight season as part of a three-year agreement, the league's top-six finishers in the 11-team conference will qualify for the 2019 MAAC Baseball Championships to be held May 22-25 at Richmond County Bank Ballpark in Staten Island, New York, home of New York Yankees' minor league affiliate Staten Island Yankees.

The Saints are looking to build off a successful 2018 campaign in which the program achieved its sixth straight 20-win season. Siena qualified for its sixth MAAC Tournament in eight seasons, and won multiple postseason contests for a seventh straight appearance.