The Niners have released another challenging schedule for the upcoming 2020 season. The schedule is stacked full of top notch programs that will not only bring excitement to the fanbase, but also gives the Niners an opportunity to earn an at-large NCAA bid. Fifteen of the 25 non-conference games scheduled were in the top 100 RPI from 2019.
Let’s first take a look at the Non-conference weekend opponents for the Niners. Charlotte will get a tough challenge right out of the box as historically familiar foe VCU visits the Hayes. The defending A-10 Regular Season Champs (59 RPI) have shared a conference with the Niners on three separate periods of the program’s history (Sun Belt, Metro, A-10). It should be a good series to start the 2020 season.
Weekend number two of the season brings UMBC (258 RPI) to the Hayes for a four-game series. This will be the first meeting of the two programs on the diamond and both programs will be under first-year head coaches. Another team from the northeast, St. Johns, will make its way down to the Hayes in the third weekend of the season. St. Johns finished 2019 with a 113 RPI from the Big East. This will be the first meeting between the two teams.
The fourth and final Non-conference weekend series is a big one as the 49ers once again welcome East Carolina (6 RPI) to the Hayes. The 2019 Champions of the AAC hosted and won their regional last season before falling to Louisville in the Super Regionals. The Pirates will be picked by many to make a run towards Omaha in 2020.
The non-conference weekday games are also loaded with challenging games. For the first road trip of the season, Charlotte will travel to SEC power Tennessee (13 RPI). The Vols were a Regional team in 2019.
The Niners will play home and home with 2016 National Champion Coastal Carolina (60 RPI), who won the Sun Belt last season and was a Regional team in 2019. Another Regional team that the Niners will play a home and home with in 2020 will be NC State (22 RPI) from the ACC. The Niners will host the Wolfpack once again at beautiful BB&T Ballpark in Uptown Charlotte and also travel to Raleigh for a return game. The Wolfpack and the 49ers played the 1st ever college game at BB&T Ballpark in 2015.
Charlotte will once again host Wake Forest (54 RPI) at BB&T Ballpark before making a return trip to Winston -Salem. The Niners will also play home and homes with local programs UNCG (88 RPI) and Winthrop (112 RPI). UNC Asheville (257 RPI) will also make a trip to the Hayes in 2020.
The 30 game Conference USA schedule includes home series hosting defending C-USA Champion Southern Miss (43 RPI), ODU (80 RPI), UAB (133 RPI), WKU (161 RPI), and FIU (171 RPI).
The road trips for the Niners include trips to 2019 Regional team, FAU (37 RPI), UTSA (134 RPI), Rice (140 RPI), Marshall (178 RPI), and MTSU (222 RPI). Just like last season, the Niners will not play LaTech in 2020.
*** RPI from the end of 2019 Season
All Time Series vs:
VCU ………………………53-33-1
Tennessee ……………………1-3
UMBC ……………….1st Meeting
UNCG ………………………13-7
St. John’s………….. 1st Meeting
Coastal Carolina ………..11-11
East Carolina ………………5-26
N.C. State …………………9-29
Wake Forest …………30-43-1
UNC Asheville ……………24-5
Winthrop ………………22-17-1
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