MERION STATION, Pa. – Saint Joseph's head baseball coach Fritz Hamburg has announced the program's 2023 schedule, which features a number of high-level opponents and a full slate of 24 Atlantic 10 games.
 
"We are excited about this group," Hamburg said about the squad set to face the upcoming slate.  "We have a strong group returning.  We feel our pitching staff has gotten better and we have more depth, but more importantly, we like the progress that we made through the fall as a collective group in our aggressiveness and hunt when it comes to being a championship team."
 
The Hawks will open the season with seven on the road, kicking off the campaign on February 17 at Duke before a game at Rutgers and a weekend series at Old Dominion on March 3.
 
SJU will play 10 of its next 12 at Smithson Field, with the home opener against UMass-Lowell scheduled for March 10.  Following a three-game set, the Hawks will travel to Holly Springs, North Carolina, for a pair of neutral site games against Notre Dame before hosting weekend series against Iona and Maine on either side of a midweek game against Monmouth.
 
"We are excited to have UMass-Lowell, Iona, and Maine travel to Hawk Hill on the weekends in March prior to opening Atlantic 10 play," Hamburg said.  "It's great that we can host these teams and we appreciate them wanting to come to Philly to play.
 
"Our early schedule will once again be an opportunity to compete against some very successful non-conference Power 5 teams as well as one which is a high-quality mid-major," Hamburg said.  "But we go into the season expecting to win and proving to ourselves that we can compete with anybody.  Obviously, Duke, Old Dominion, Rutgers, and Notre Dame will push us to be on our game right out of the gates."
 
The Hawks will visit Delaware in the opening round of the Liberty Bell Classic on March 28, with a second round matchup against either Penn or Lafayette at Smithson Field a week later.  In between, the Hawks open the Atlantic 10 slate at Richmond on March 31.
 
"The Liberty Bell Classic brings about great midweek competition; it's an opportunity to play for a championship within the season, and that's a huge bonus!" Hamburg said.  "We appreciate the Phillies organizing this tournament every year and it is a plus to compete for the opportunity to play in a big league park.  We need that trophy back on Hawk Hill.  It's been too long since we ended up at Citizens Bank Park."
 
Saint Joseph's first conference home series opens on April 7 against VCU before the Hawks visit Delaware and Saint Louis; should they reach the final, the Liberty Bell Classic championship game is set for April 18 at Citizens Bank Park, the home of the reigning National League champion Philadelphia Phillies.
 
A nine-game homestand follows, with singles games against Delaware, Bucknell, and Villanova mixed in with conference series against UMass and Fordham.
 
The Hawks then head to Dayton for a weekend set beginning on May 5 before hosting Rhode Island in the final home series of the season a week later.  A game at Villanova leads into the season finale, a three-game set at George Mason May 18-20.
 
"As far as conference play, we've got VCU, Fordham, UMass, and URI at Smithson Field and go on the road to Richmond, Saint Louis, Dayton, and George Mason," Hamburg said.  "Five of the eight teams were in last year's A-10 tourney.  Good stuff!  Obviously, conference play holds a great deal of weight when it comes to postseason opportunities.  We realize what's at stake and what we want to accomplish.  That's 158 days from today for us to become our best team so that we can go win a conference championship!"
 
The Atlantic 10 Championship will be hosted at VCU's home field, The Diamond, in Richmond, Virginia, beginning on May 23.