COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Southeastern Conference (SEC) announced its conference schedule for the upcoming baseball season. The announcement also confirms that the South Carolina Gamecocks will host conference newcomer Oklahoma.
New head coach Paul Mainieri will battle his old school, Louisiana State University (LSU), in the season's final series. Mainieri replaced Mark Kingston after he was fired at the end of last season.
South Carolina will open conference play with a home series at Founders Park against Oklahoma March 14-16.
The Gamecocks will then travel to Arkansas to play the Razorbacks March 21-23 and host Tennessee March 28-30.
South Carolina will then be on the road for the back-to-back SEC series, traveling to Starkville to face Mississippi State from April 4 to April 6 and Texas A&M from April 11 to April 13.
The Gamecocks will then return home for Easter weekend, facing Ole Miss from April 17 to 19. They will then travel to Kentucky to face the Wildcats from April 25 to April 27.
In May, South Carolina will host Florida from May 2 to May 4, travel to Auburn from May 9 to May 11, and then wrap up the regular season against LSU from May 15 to May 17.
The SEC Tournament will start May 20 in Hoover, Alabama. All 16 teams will play in the single-elimination tournament.
Mainieri was the head coach at LSU for 14 seasons, which included a national championship in 2009. He is the active leader in career wins in Division 1 baseball with 1,505 victories.
RELATED: New head baseball coach Paul Mainieri brings Hall of Fame credentials to the South Carolina program
The rest of the Gamecocks' schedule will be announced later. No times have been announced, and the university said some dates may shift for television coverage.
Gamecocks' SEC Schedule
- March 14-16 vs. Oklahoma
- March 21-23 at Arkansas
- March 28-30 vs. Tennessee
- April 4-6 at Mississippi State
- April 11-13 at Texas A&M
- April 17-19 vs. Ole Miss
- April 25-27 at Kentucky
- May 2-4 vs. Florida
- May 9-11 at Auburn
- May 15-17 vs. LSU
