The Hatters will embark on a schedule this spring that includes a number of teams rarely, if ever, seen before in DeLand. With a schedule that is front-loaded with home games, the pressure will be on for Stetson to get off to a fast start.
 
"What we have told the team is those who feel pressure are the ones who aren't prepared," head coach Steve Trimper said. "We make it our job to prepare them as best we can and it is their job, as players, to prepare for all of the events you are going to be engaged in. Whether that is speaking with the media or having someone write a nice article about you and then maybe not performing as well.
 
"Preparation can be physical, which is our practices and how we prepare ourselves that way. There is also the aspect of preparing mentally for the successes and failures, preparing mentally for the weekend and our opponents so we know what they are going to try to do to us and how we can try to beat them. Preparing for pressure is all about being overly prepared."
 
The year will open against a program Trimper is very familiar with in Manhattan. Trimper coached the Jaspers from 1999-2005 before moving on to the University of Maine.
 
It will be just the second time Stetson and Manhattan have faced, with the only previous meeting coming in 1992, a game Stetson won 8-1.
 
George Washington is back on the slate for the first time since 2012 and will come in for the second weekend of the season. Stetson is 6-2 all-time against the Coloniels.
 
The Hatters will get busy in March, playing 21 games with another six tilts slated to be played at Melching Field. The month opens with the annual Westin Lake Mary Stetson Invitational with Virginia Tech, Central Michigan and Purdue. Stetson is 7-1 all-time against the Hokies with the last meeting in 2004 and 4-2 against Purdue with the last games in 1997. The Hatters and Chippewas are regular foes, with Stetson holding a 17-8 lead in the series.
 
Wagner, from the Northeast Conference, makes its first appearance against Stetson this year followed by a three-game set against Richmond from the Atlantic 10. The Hatters lead the Spiders 2-1 with the last meeting coming in 1985.
 
The Knights from the United States Military Academy at West Point will also visit for a pair of games. Last played in 1981, that series is tied 1-1. Rhode Island, another member of the A-10, will visit for a four-game series. Stetson leads the Rams 2-0 in a series that was last played in 2002.
 
The first road trip of the year comes in late March when Stetson travels to face its second Big Ten foe of the year, Maryland. Stetson leads the series against the Terrapins 4-1 with the last meeting coming in 2003. The Hatters close the month with a three-game home series against cross-county rival Bethune-Cookman before opening ASUN play the first weekend of April at Kennesaw State.
 
Mid-week opponents during the year include home-and-home sets with UCF, USF, Florida State and FIU and ends in mid-May with a game at Miami in Coral Gables.
 
The Hatters will host league series against Lipscomb, Jacksonville and USC Upstate while traveling to play at KSU, NJIT, FGCU and North Florida. The Ospreys will host the 2018 ASUN Championship at Harmon Stadium in Jacksonville.
 
"The common theme for this whole team is that there is depth, and there is still plenty of competition to go," Trimper said. "A lot of things can happen with this team. When you bring in a lot of guys, and a lot of quality guys, like we did, we want to win baseball games and we will do that with depth."
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.