GLENSIDE, Pa. - The Arcadia University baseball team opens its 2020 campaign at this weekend's Methodist Diamond Invitational in Fayetteville, N.C., a four-team invitational that will see the Knights play Bridgewater (Va.), DeSales, and the host Monarchs over the three-day stay. The Knights were selected to finish fourth in January's MAC Commonwealth Preseason Coaches' Poll as the Knights set their sights on the program's third conference title in four years.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Armstrong-Shelley Field | Fayetteville, N.C. | Feb. 14-16

Feb. 14 | 4 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch
Arcadia (0-0, 0-0 MAC Commonwealth) vs. Methodist (2-1, 0-0 USA South)

Feb. 15 | 5 p.m. | Live Stats
Arcadia vs. Bridgewater (0-0, 0-0 ODAC)

Feb. 16 | 11 a.m. | Live Stats
Arcadia vs. DeSales (0-0, 0-0 MAC Freedom)

The Knights have reached the MAC Commonwealth Championship Tournament in each of the last three seasons under head coach Bryan Torresani - while capturing a pair of conference titles in 2017 and 2018 - who enters his fourth season at the helm. Arcadia has won at least 25 games in each of Torresani's first three seasons leading the Knights, including a program-record 33 in his first season in 2017.

"We are very excited heading into the 2020 season," Torresani remarked. "The coaching staff believes that we have a good mix of veteran leadership and young talent and we are looking forward to a successful campaign."

The beginning of Arcadia's 40-game schedule features three-consecutive weekend road trips, as the Knights head to Marymount (Feb. 22) and Johns Hopkins (Feb. 23) following the weekend in Fayetteville before heading to Scranton on Feb. 29 to play the host Royals and Keystone. The Knights' home-opener from Skip Wilson Field is slated for March 7 opposite Oswego State before opening its MAC Commonwealth schedule the following Friday against Stevenson.

The Knights also return to the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla. with five games scheduled from March 17-22. Arcadia opens the week with 12th-ranked Denison before rounding out the week with SUNY Cobleskill and a three-game conference set with Messiah.

Arcadia returns three of its eight All-MAC Commonwealth selections from a season ago, including first-teamer Dylan Towey and second-team picks Trevor Mattson and Zak Thomas. Additionally, a trio of Knight seniors - Towey, Mitch Blake, and Jeremy Sabathne - were named Division III 'Players to Watch' by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper in January.

Additionally, upperclassmen Matt Ernst and Andrew Scholz will be looked upon to lead the Knights in 2020. Ernst was one of five Knights to play in all 42 games last season and led the team with 11 stolen bases. Scholz returns to the Arcadia pitching staff after missing all of 2019 with an injury. The senior was second on the team in starts (8) and third in innings pitched (52.2) during his last season in 2018.