SU baseball schedule highlighted with USC, UCLA, home-and-home with LSU

Southern has a demanding schedule to start the 2008 season with games against Loyola University, LSU and USC, but that’s nothing compared to the demands of coach Roger Cador.
This kind of stretch can certainly make-or-break a team, but Cador is certain it will help his team going into Southwestern Athletic Conference play against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on March 8.
Part of the reason why Cador is so confident is because the Jaguars will make history when they face USC, UCLA and Bethune-Cookman in the first ever Urban Classic in Los Angeles, California, February 29-March 2. The games will be televised live on ESPN2 and the band will be in attendance.
“We have a demanding schedule when you look at who we have to play early,” said Cador. “We play LSU, USC, the preseason number one team in the country (UCLA) and then we come back off the road and play Tulane. Those are very high hurdles to cross.”
That’s nothing. SU is familiar with high hurdles as the Jaguars went (26-18, 15-9 SWAC) last season reaching the SWAC Championship before being knocked off by eventual champion Prairie View 7-8.
Rightfully so, PV is the SWAC’s preseason pick to finish first and SU second.
“Preseason we’re picked to finish second but I don’t put any stock in that kind of stuff,” Cador said. “It’s all about execution and doing things the right way down the road.”
Plus, winning games down the road was a staple for SU last season. After going 0-4 to start the season losing to UNO and Southeastern, SU rebounded to win seven consecutive games (six in SWAC play) before losing to Texas Southern 6-10. SU also put together six streaks of two consecutive wins or more with its best effort coming in a five game winning streak following the TSU loss in which the Jaguars defeated Nicholls State, Grambling and Prairie View.
“You want to play a good schedule to mentally prepare the players to play the conference schedule and hopefully you’ll finish strong,” Cador said. “It’s certainly going to be challenging but our players know it’s not where you start it’s where you finish. That’s the most important thing.”
Last season SU finished second but Cador’s goal is to be SWAC Champion again. It’s too early to say, but if SU follows suit they may very well be the team still standing when it’s all said and done.
“A schedule like this can either make you or break you, but I think in our case it will help us going down the road,” Cador said. “We’re basically looking at this schedule as preparation to get back on top in the SWAC.”
NOTES
SU began last season 0-4, all of which were non-conference loses. SU only had two stints where it lost three consecutive games, but only one came in SWAC play when the Jaguars were defeated by Prairie View and Jackson State. SU’s only other losing streak came with loses to Prairie View and Alcorn sandwiched between a loss to LSU.
Three SU players were selected as first-team preseason All-SWAC selections: Pitcher Jarrett Maloy, catcher Michael Thomas and infielder Calvin Anderson.