Head Coach Lonny Allen released Tiffin University's 2011 baseball schedule today and is very optimistic about the upcoming year. "The 2011 schedule sets up better for us than our schedule in 2010. With the NCAA D-II ruling to reduce games from 56 games to 50 games, it knocks out one weekend of preseason games and eliminates additional mid-week games. This gives our staff and players an extra week of preparation and allows us to set up our rotation during the season. We play on set days throughout the entire season and our guys can get on a consistent pattern." Another change Coach Allen and the Dragons will endure this spring is the conference format. The addition of two teams into the GLIAC will reduce each conference matchup to 4-game series instead of 5.

The Dragons will open their season February 12^th and 13^th as they travel to King College in Bristol, Tennessee. Similar to Tiffin, King College is fairly new to NCAA D-II baseball. King was granted membership in 2009 and Coach Allen expects a tough series with "The Tornado." "Any time you play a southern school, which is able to utilize the warm weather for outdoor practice, you have to respect their preparation advantage."

On February 19^th and 20^th, the Dragons travel to Chillicothe, OH to take on a familiar foe in Slippery Rock. The series between the Dragons and the Rock has developed into a competitive preseason rivalry. Slippery Rock has a solid program and is well coached. Coach Allen believes the games will be hard fought and a great barometer for the Dragon baseball team.

The following weekend the Dragons hit the road to Carrollton, GA to take on West Georgia. "This will be a familiar trip. We went down to Carrollton last season and won 1 of 3. Our goal is to win every series we play and hopefully we have a better result this time around. This will be another great preseason test for our guys."

Coach Allen and the baseball team will spend their Spring Break (March 11^th-19^th) in Daytona Beach, FL where they will play in the Ormond Beach College Baseball Jamboree. "The spring break schedule is still being set, but there's no doubt it will be a challenging one. It will also be a great experience for more guys to get playing time. We use this trip to find out, not only who will help us this year, but who will have a chance to help us down the road."

The regular season schedule is no surprise to Coach Allen and the Dragons. "We are familiar with our opponents and the challenges we face day in and day out in the GLIAC. This will be our 3^rd year in the league and we are looking forward to making a playoff push. Last year, we missed the playoffs by one game. We are looking forward to getting back into conference play and having a more successful year than we did in 2010."