ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Penn State baseball team learned on Wednesday that it will face Cincinnati, Seton Hall and Notre Dame at the 2010 Big Ten/BIG EAST Baseball Challenge, hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission. The event runs for three days, from Feb. 26-28, 2010 in the St. Petersburg and Clearwater area.

This marks the second straight season that the Nittany Lions open their schedule at the Big Ten/BIG EAST challenge. Last year, they went 2-1 record, with wins over Northwestern and Seton Hall. Penn State was one of only six Big Ten squads to post a winning record along with Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota.

"We are very happy to once again host the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge," said Kevin Smith, director of the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission. "The inaugural event exceeded our expectations on all fronts, setting up what we hope will be an even more successful second year. We look forward to providing an opportunity for these fine NCAA Division I baseball programs from two of the nation's most visible conferences to escape the winter cold and come to our area to compete against equally matched opponents at major league-caliber facilities."

Games will be played at five different venues, including current spring training facilities: Bright House Field (Philadelphia Phillies) and Dunedin Stadium (Toronto Blue Jays). Other games will take place at former spring trainings sites, including Jack Russell Stadium (Philadelphia Philies) in Clearwater and two in St. Petersburg: Al Lang Stadium and Naimoli Complex (Tampa Bay Rays).

Penn State opens with Cincinnati on Friday (Feb. 26) at 1 p.m. Then on Saturday, the Lions face Seton Hall at 10 a.m. before a matchup with Notre Dame on Sunday, also at 10 a.m. In total, they will play in three of the five venues: Al Lang Stadium (Friday), Jack Russell Stadium (Saturday) and Naimoli Complex (Sunday).

The Nittany Lions are most familiar with Seton Hall, having played the Pirates last season. Last year's 6-1 win evened the all-time series at 5-5-1. Penn State is 3-8-0 all-time against Notre Dame and has never faced Cincinnati.

Follow Penn State baseball on Twitter: www.twitter.com/psubaseball.

2010 Big Ten/BIG EAST Baseball Challenge Schedule
FRIDAY, February 26, 2010
TIME, LOCATION, MATCHUP
10:00 am, Al Lang Stadium, Rutgers vs. Iowa
10:00 am, Jack Russell Stadium, Connecticut vs. Northwestern
10:00 am, Naimoli Complex, Seton Hall vs. Michigan State
1:00 pm, Al Lang Stadium, Cincinnati vs. Penn State
1:00 pm, Jack Russell Stadium, West Virginia vs. Indiana
1:00 pm, Naimoli Complex, Villanova vs. Purdue
4:00 pm, Dunedin Stadium, St. John's vs. Minnesota
4:30 pm, Al Lang Stadium, South Florida vs. Ohio State
4:30 pm, Jack Russell Stadium, Notre Dame vs. Illinois
7:30 pm, Dunedin Stadium, Louisville vs. Michigan
SATURDAY, February 27, 2010
TIME, LOCATION, MATCHUP
10:00 am, Al Lang Stadium, Villanova vs. Indiana
10:00 am, Jack Russell Stadium, Seton Hall vs. Penn State
10:00 am, Naimoli Complex, Northwestern vs. Rutgers
1:00 pm, Al Lang Stadium, Connecticut vs. Minnesota
1:00 pm, Jack Russell Stadium, Purdue vs. Cincinnati
1:00 pm, Naimoli Complex, Iowa vs. West Virginia
4:00 pm, Bright House Field, Ohio State vs. Notre Dame
4:30 pm, Al Lang Stadium, St. John's vs. Michigan
4:30 pm, Jack Russell Stadium, Michigan State vs. Louisville
7:30 pm, Bright House Field, South Florida vs. Illinois
SUNDAY, February 28, 2010
TIME, LOCATION, MATCHUP
10:00 am, Al Lang Stadium, Northwestern vs. Seton Hall
10:00 am, Jack Russell Stadium, Purdue University vs. Rutgers
10:00 am, Naimoli Complex, Penn State vs. Notre Dame
10:00 am, Naimoli Complex, Indiana vs. Connecticut
10:00 am, Naimoli Complex, Illinois vs. St. John's
1:00 pm, Al Lang Stadium, Michigan State vs. West Virginia
1:00 pm, Jack Russell Stadium, Iowa vs. Villanova
1:00 pm, Naimoli Complex, Michigan vs. South Florida
1:00 pm, Naimoli Complex, Minnesota vs. Louisville
1:00 pm, Naimoli Complex, Ohio State vs. Cincinnati