BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell was picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Sun in and Brandon Scott was also named as one of the top players to watch in the conference for the 2007 season in Baseball America's recent college preview edition.
Baseball America picked the Camels to finish fourth in last season's edition too, as the Camels went on to finish seventh with a 19-38 overall record and a 13-17 mark in Atlantic Sun play. Stetson, Jacksonville and Mercer were all picked ahead of CU in this year's forecast.
Brandon Scott was mentioned as one of the players to watch in the conference after earning second team All-Atlantic Sun honors from a year ago. The junior put up impressive numbers, batting .365 with four home runs, 26 RBI and 25 stolen bases and also led the league in triples with seven.
A match-up with national runner-up North Carolina and a total of 13 games against six 2006 NCAA regional qualifiers highlights the 2007 Fighting Camels baseball schedule.
The Campbell schedule looks to be tough again, as Jacksonville, Stetson, North Carolina, North Carolina State, UNC Asheville and UNC Wilmington all qualified for the NCAA tournament. Of these six, only Stetson (April 13-14) and UNC Asheville (February 16-17) make the trip to Buies Creek in 2007.
The ‘07 slate also features games against ACC opponents North Carolina, North Carolina State and Duke, with the Blue Devils coming to Buies Creek for the first time since 2001. Last season the Camels played number one North Carolina close, falling 6-3 to the eventual College World Series runner-up. The Camels travel back to Chapel Hill on April 17, looking for their ninth win over the Tar Heels.
Atlantic Sun play starts for CU in March with a trip to Mercer (March 16-17). The Camels A-Sun road schedule includes trips to ETSU (March 30-31) and Kennesaw State (May 17- 18), marking the first time the Camels travel to Johnson City, Tenn. and Kennesaw, Ga.
CU will enjoy the comforts of home in the first month as the Camels play their first six, and 11 of their first 15 games, at Taylor Field. The season opens with a weekend match-up against in-state rival Charlotte on February 9 and 10. The game will be the first meeting between the two teams since 1995, when Charlotte beat the Camels 12-10, and the first of four on the season.
One week later, UNC Asheville makes its first trip back to Buies Creek since 1994. The Bulldogs and Camels renewed their rivalry last year in Asheville, when UNCA swept the Camels in a doubleheader by scores of 6-3 and 7-1. The Camels travel to Greenville on February 17 to resume their rivalry with East Carolina after a year off from playing each other.
The ECU game marks the beginning of a brief four game road swing which the Camels will wrap up with a trip to The Citadel on February 27. It will be the first meeting between the two since 1994. After meeting up with The Citadel, the Camels play two teams for the first time in their history as they host Seton Hall (March 2-3) and Holy Cross (March 5-6) in consecutive series during spring break.
Campbell spends most of its time within the state of North Carolina, playing 36 of 56 games in-state. The Camels play 29 games at Taylor Field this year, where they are 32-22 over the last two seasons. CU's competition is diverse, as they face 23 different teams from 11 different conferences.
The Camels are going for their third Atlantic Sun Tournament berth in four years, as Stetson plays host to the Atlantic Sun Tournament at Melching Field at Conrad Park in May. It is the sixth consecutive season that Melching Field will be the site for the tournament.