DAHLONEGA – A 13-game homestand for the University of North Georgia baseball team is how the Nighthawks will begin their 2023 schedule as a three-game weekend non-conference series versus Mars Hill opens the season Feb. 3-5 before Florida Southern comes to Bob Stein Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park the following weekend.
Peach Belt Conference play begins the following weekend with USC Aiken coming to Dahlonega for a weekend series, followed by Young Harris in a Battle of Blood Mountain series Feb. 24-26. Montevallo comes for a midweek matchup on Mar. 1 to end the season-opening homestand.
The Nighthawks will head on the road for the first time in the 2023 season with a road series at Augusta Mar. 4-5, followed by two midweek games against Southern Wesleyan and Catawba. North Georgia will head to 2022 PBC regular season champions Columbus State on Mar. 10-12 before continuing south for two games on the road at West Florida Mar. 14-15.
A five-game stint at home awaits them with a PBC series versus Lander Mar. 17-19 before two-midweek matchups against Anderson and Emmanuel. The first-ever matchup against PBC newcomer USC Beaufort is next on the schedule with a three-game conference series Mar. 24-26.
A quick stop back home for a game against Lincoln Memorial precedes a road series versus Georgia College from Mar. 31 through Apr. 2. North Georgia returns from their road series for a seven-game homestand beginning with another midweek versus Anderson and a home conference series versus Flagler on Apr. 7-8. Salem comes to town to break up the PBC weekend schedule with three games Apr. 14-16 before a midweek road matchup against North Greenville on Apr.18.
The Nighthawks return to the PBC schedule with three games on the road at Georgia Southwestern Apr. 21-23 and then host North Greenville on Apr. 26th for the second half of their home-and-home series. A home conference series versus Claflin closes out the regular season schedule.
The 2023 Peach Belt Conference Championship will be played on campus sites. The top eight regular season finishers will qualify with seeds 1, 4, 5, and 8 playing a double elimination regional format at the top seed and seeds 2, 3, 6 and 7 playing at the second seed. The first round will take place on May 5-7 and the two advancing teams will square off in the PBC Championship on May 12-14 in a Super Regional best-of-three format at the highest remaining seed.
