The Saint Vincent Athletic Department has announced that the Bearcat baseball team's Monday, March 4, doubleheader against Hilbert College will take place in LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida, the winter/spring home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
 
The first game will begin at 10 a.m..
 
"We are thrilled to have an opportunity to play at a ballpark with such a long, rich history," said SVC head coach Mick Janosko.  "The fact that it's the Pirates' spring training home makes it even better."
 
The team travels to Florida annually during spring break to get the season underway under fair weather conditions.  
 
Saint Vincent's 2019 season will begin on Sunday, March 3, in Auburndale, Florida, against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Hilbert games in Bradenton will be the team's only doubleheader for the week. In all, the Bearcats will play seven varsity games in Florida before returning home to Latrobe.
 
The Saint Vincent baseball team visited Pirate City back in 2006, as the team squared off against Pirate prospects on one of the complex's auxiliary fields.  This will be the Bearcats' first opportunity to play at LECOM Park, and the games will count as official NCAA competition, as this year's games are against another collegiate program.  
 
"A lot of Pirate fans, including our Saint Vincent alumni, make their way to Florida during spring training.  We hope to see a lot of them at LECOM Park that day, supporting our Bearcat team," said Coach Janosko.  "This should be an experience that our players will never forget.  We are very grateful to the Pirates for this opportunity."
 
Local fans and area snowbirds are welcome to attend the games at LECOM Park.