Release from Georgia State Athletics:
The three Division I baseball programs in the Atlanta area will open the 2015 season this weekend with a unique event as Georgia State, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State host Fordham, Liberty and St. John’s in the inaugural Atlanta Challenge.
Northern schools routinely travel south for the first few weekends of the college baseball season in search of warmer weather. But rather than each Atlanta school hosting a Northern opponent in a typical three-game series, the three programs worked together to create this event in which the three visiting teams will rotate to a different Atlanta school each day.
The Atlanta Challenge opens Friday at 4 p.m. with Fordham at Georgia State, St. John’s at Georgia Tech and Liberty at Kennesaw State.
For Saturday’s 2 p.m. games, Liberty plays at Georgia State, Fordham faces Georgia Tech, and St. John’s meets Kennesaw State. The event concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. with St. John’s at Georgia State, Liberty at Georgia Tech and Fordham at Kennesaw State.
“The Atlanta Challenge came together through a cooperative effort between us at Georgia State, Danny Hall at Georgia Tech, and Mike Sansing at Kennesaw State,” Georgia State head coach Greg Frady said. “We have been collectively talking about this for the last couple of years, and when I made some calls to see who might be interested, we got really good response.
“After Fordham, Liberty and St. John’s coming in this year, we already have VCU, Purdue and Western Michigan scheduled for next year, and we’re currently working on 2017 and 2018,” Frady added.
The format offers positives for the both the home and the visiting schools.
“It creates something fun for all of us with three different teams in three days,” Frady said. “Early in the season, I think it’s better for your team to see different teams, different arms, different styles of play.
“The Northern teams are looking for time on the field because they may not have been outside much yet,” he continued. The fact that our event has only one game each day at three different sites means that they can take full batting practice on the field and full infield-outfield on the field. If you’ve had a tough time getting outside, that is important.”
The proximity of the three venues makes for simple logistics for the three visiting teams.
“We all are within 30 minutes, no matter which direction you’re going. And we know as Atlantans that 30 minutes is nothing,” Frady said.
St. John’s head coach Ed Blankmeyer, who was recently tabbed by USA Baseball as the manager of the 2015 Collegiate National Team, said, “The Atlanta Challenge has a unique format and I like it. Playing three teams each at their home ballpark is a departure from the format that we’ve become accustomed to seeing for these early-season events. We’ll have to be the visitors for all three games since there are no neutral-site matchups, but we’re a Northeast team and we’re used to being on the road.”
Liberty head coach Jim Toman, who guided the Flames to the NCAA Tournament last spring, added, “It is a refreshing change from a three-game weekend series. It gives us a chance to play at three different venues against three great programs in one weekend. We are extremely excited to be invited and look forward to the challenge.”
The Sports Inquirer 
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