GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE at MONTEVALLO -- Friday-Sunday, Feb. 17-19, 2017
Kermit Johnson Field -- Montevallo, Ala.
Friday, 2 p.m.     Saturday, 2 p.m.     Sunday, Noon

McKENDREE 2016 FINAL STATISTICS
MONTEVALLO 2017 SEASON STATISTICS

(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 17)--The McKendree University baseball team will usher in the Danny Jackson era as the Bearcats open their 2017 season with a three-game series in Alabama against the University of Montevallo. 

Jackson -- who was hired to take the reins of the Bearcats' program late last May -- and his staff have been busy at work looking to reshape a team that posted a 15-34 overall record and a 7-21 mark against Great Lakes Valley Conference opponents in 2016. On the field, McKendree returns seven players who started at least half of the team's 49 games a year ago. On the mound, the Bearcats bring back two of their top performers from last year's rotation, along with some key arms in the bullpen. Jackson and his coaches also brought in 15 new faces to fortify the roster with the goal of reaching the GLVC Tournament for the first time in program history.

Montevallo has already played eight games in 2017, going 6-2 in those contests. The Falcons are currently riding a five-game win streak, all of which have come at home. Montevallo swept a three-game series last weekend from Trevecca Nazarene before defeating Mississippi College in a mid-week match-up on Wednesday. This will mark the first time that McKendree and Montevallo will meet on the baseball field.

McKendree opens its season with seven straight road contests. Following this weekend's series with Montevallo, the Bearcats will head to Springfield, Mo., next weekend for a four-game set with Drury University. McKendree will host Hillsdale College in a non-conference doubleheader on March 4 in the 2017 home opener at Hypes Field.