How very nice was it to have such a completely and totally “normal” sports schedule in 2022? We have much more of that to look forward to in 2023, including more world-class events in the Baltimore area and chances for you to travel near or far to see your favorite athletes.
Here are The 15 2023 Baltimore sports highlights.
1. High School Basketball
Jan. 6: Mount Saint Joseph at St. Frances (boys)
Feb. 12: St. Frances at Mount Saint Joseph (boys)
Jan. 27: Mercy vs. Maryvale at SECU Arena (girls)
Gaels star Amani Hansberry is the area’s top prospect and will be playing at Illinois next season. You have a couple of chances to see him square off against future Terp Jahnathan Lamothe and the Panthers. And this is the second year of “The Classic,” which replaced “The Game” when the Institute of Notre Dame closed down and will bring an absolutely electric environment to Towson University.
2. Jan. 7: Gervonta Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
If you missed seeing “Tank” when he fought in Baltimore in 2019, this is your best chance to see the undefeated Baltimore southpaw close to home. Davis is scheduled to fight again April 15 against Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas.
3. Men’s College Basketball
Jan. 1: Vermont at UMBC
Jan. 14: Morgan State at Coppin State
Jan. 14: Navy at Loyola
Jan. 19: Michigan at Maryland
Jan. 31: Indiana at Maryland
Feb. 16: Purdue at Maryland
Feb. 16: Delaware at Towson
Feb. 18: Loyola at Navy
March 2: Coppin State at Morgan State
Where to start? Maryland’s surprising start could make every game interesting, but games against Hunter Dickinson and Michigan are particularly unique. UMBC and Vermont will open the calendar year in an America East championship game rematch. The defending CAA regular-season champion Tigers will have revenge on their minds when they welcome the defending tournament champion Blue Hens, who upset them in the semifinals last year.
4. Baltimore Blast
Feb. 11: Milwaukee Wave at Baltimore Blast
March 18: Utica City at Baltimore Blast
The February matchup will also include a 20th anniversary celebration of the 2002-03 championship team, while the March date includes the team’s annual Hall of Fame celebration.
5. Feb. 21-25: CIAA Men’s And Women’s Basketball Tournament at CFG Bank Arena
It is well known that the basketball tournament is only part of the CIAA experience, with last year’s event bolstered by concerts, step shows, comedy shows and parties throughout the city. But this year is even more significant, as the tournament will offer the first look at the remodeled venue formerly known as the Baltimore Arena, Royal Farms Arena, 1st Mariner Arena and Baltimore Civic Center.
6. Women’s College Basketball
Jan. 26: Michigan at Maryland
Feb. 5: Ohio State at Maryland
March 8-12: CAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at SECU Arena
Given the Terrapins’ flair for the dramatic early in the season, you might end up seeing something incredible at any of their games. And Diamond Miller is likely to end up being one of the top picks in the WNBA Draft.
7. Baltimore Orioles
April 6: Yankees at Orioles (home opener)
Aug. 4-6: Mets at Orioles
This will be the first time Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson will run down the orange carpet in Baltimore, opening the most anticipated season in Baltimore in six years. (The season actually begins a week earlier in Boston.) With MLB going to more balanced schedules this season, there will be fewer visits from AL East rivals. The definitive highlight of the schedule is the return of Buck Showalter in August. If you’re looking to travel, the Orioles visit Manny Machado and the Padres Aug. 14-16. And at the college baseball level, UMBC will host Maryland on April 25.
8. Local Lacrosse Events
Jan. 20-22: USA Lacrosse Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center
May 4 and 6: Big Ten Men’s Lacrosse Tournament at Homewood Field
May 21: NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament Quarterfinals at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Aug. 5-6: Premier Lacrosse League at Homewood Field
Maryland lost a lot (including Tewaaraton winner Logan Wisnauskas), but the Terps … also return a lot, including All-American faceoff specialist Luke Wierman. They’ll probably be in the title picture again this year. The PLL announced that this year’s Baltimore weekend will also include the 2023 Pro Lacrosse Hall of Fame induction and a first-ever PLL Junior Championship.
9. May 20: Preakness 148
We’ll hope that the second jewel of the Triple Crown will include the Kentucky Derby winner this year (Rich Strike skipped it last year after a surprising Derby win). This was scheduled to be the final Preakness before renovations begin at Pimlico, but that is no longer a certainty.
10. More Local Lacrosse Events
June 16-18: IWLCA Champions Cup at Maryland SoccerPlex
July 27-30: All-America Lacrosse
Corrigan Sports announced an expansion of this year’s All-America Lacrosse event, but it’s always highlighted by the Senior matchups. This year’s host has not yet been announced, but the group confirmed it will be in Maryland. The IWLCA event was created to help streamline the recruiting process for all parties involved. And speaking of lacrosse, the Next Collegiate League competition is slated to return to the University of Maryland this April, helping to grow the sport at participating Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
11. Local College Football
Aug. 26: Navy vs. Notre Dame in Dublin, Ireland
Sept. 2: Towson at Maryland
Sept. 16: Virginia at Maryland
Sept. 16: Towson at Morgan State
Oct. 21: Air Force at Navy
Nov. 4: Penn State at Maryland
Nov. 18: Michigan at Maryland
Dec. 9: Army-Navy in Foxborough, Mass.
Navy-Notre Dame would be the ultimate road trip for a local sports fan in 2023. Meanwhile, a new era of Towson football begins on Labor Day weekend in College Park. The Terps welcome a former ACC rival two weeks later.
12. Sept. 3: Maryland Cycling Classic
After the success of the inaugural event, Maryland Sports executive director Terry Hasseltine told The Baltimore Sun the hope was to convince the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to add a women’s race to the event for 2023.
13. Dates TBA: Ravens at Titans, Cardinals, Jaguars and 49ers
After trips to New Orleans, Tampa and Jacksonville this season, Ravens fans have some pretty good road trips to look forward to again in 2023. Depending on the date and the circumstances surrounding the team, the Nashville trip could be one of the most well-attended road games in recent Ravens history.
14. Oct. 14: Baltimore Running Festival
We can dream of an October day downtown that starts with the Baltimore Marathon and then continues with the Orioles hosting an ALDS matchup that afternoon, can’t we?
15. Oct. 19-23: Maryland 5 Star
The third edition of the event will be held on the third weekend of October at Cecil County’s Fair Hill. A 5 Star is considered the pinnacle of the sport of Eventing.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox
Issue 278: December 2022 / January 2023
Originally published Dec. 21, 2022