BLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Tech released its 2010 baseball schedule on Wednesday, and 22 games against 2009 NCAA Tournament participants, including 19 against top-25 teams, highlight the 56-game slate. There will be 31 games played at the Hokies’ English Field, including a 13-game homestand in early March.

All five of Tech’s road conference series come against opponents who made the NCAA Tournament last year, including four that served as regional hosts (Clemson, UNC, FSU and GT), four that advanced to super regional play (Clemson, UNC, FSU and UVa), and two that traveled to Omaha for the College World Series (UNC and UVa). All five of those teams finished the 2009 season ranked among the nation’s top 20 in various polls.

“This will be one of the toughest schedules we’ve had, especially when you look at our away games in the ACC,” Tech head coach Pete Hughes said. “I would argue that no one else in the conference has a tougher road schedule.”

In addition to that, the Hokies will serve as hosts to two other NCAA Tournament teams – Hughes’ former team, Boston College, and another top-20 program, Miami – for three-game sets.

Tech will open the season with three games at Coastal Carolina’s annual tournament near Myrtle Beach, S.C., with the first contest coming on Feb. 19 against Kentucky from the SEC. The Hokies continue play the next day with a bout against another NCAA Tournament team, Coastal Carolina, which closed the season ranked in the top 25 in two different polls. Tech will close out the weekend with a matchup against West Virginia, a 37-win team from the BIG EAST.

After a three-game set at Charleston Southern the following weekend, the Hokies return to Blacksburg to open their home schedule, which begins on March 2 against New River Valley-rival Radford. Twelve home games will follow, including the ACC opener against Maryland on March 12-14. Weather permitting, the 13 straight home games would match the longest homestand in program history, set back in 1981.

Three other teams that won 30-plus games last year will visit English Field, including ACC-foe Duke, Liberty and Bryant.

The Hokies will conclude the regular season May 20-22 at North Carolina, which has advanced to the College World Series in each of the past four seasons. The ACC Championships are scheduled for May 26-30 in Greensboro, N.C.

Click here to view the full schedule.