The SUNY Cortland baseball team will be making a preseason trip to the Dominican Republic from Jan. 16-22, 2020.

The Red Dragons – ranked eighth nationally in Division III in Collegiate Baseball's preseason poll – are scheduled to bring 33 players and four coaches on the trip and will play exhibition games versus college-age Dominican players at a variety of venues, with some of those games likely occurring against Major League Baseball Academy teams. All 30 MLB teams have academies in the Dominican Republic. In addition, the Cortland players and coaches are tentatively scheduled to participate in youth clinics and community service work, as well as attend a Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League game.

The trip is made possible by money raised through donations from Cortland baseball alumni as well as through a number of team-held clinics.

"We are excited for an amazing opportunity for our baseball team," said Cortland 21st-year head coach Joe Brown. "We would like to thank our alumni for providing the majority of funding for this trip."

The trip is being organized by the Dominican Baseball Camp, which was founded in 2007. A number of collegiate baseball team on all NCAA levels have participated in the program, including recent visits by Division III programs Tufts and Webster and Division I schools Elon University and Nicholls State.

Fans can follow the Red Dragons' trip on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dominicanbaseballcamp, where daily photos and updates will be posted. More information on the Dominican Baseball Camp can be found on their website at www.dominicanbaseballcamp.com.

Cortland baseball will be making its first international trip since going to Russia in 2001 after Brown's second year as head coach. The Red Dragons were believed to be the first American college baseball team to compete on Russian soil. One of Cortland's highlights on that trip was a 7-5 victory over the Russian National Team in Moscow.

Cortland finished the 2019 season with a 34-13-1 record and earned its 27th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, tying the Division III record for longest NCAA streak with Marietta's 27 straight showings from 1976-2002. Cortland won a four-team NCAA regional at home before losing at Babson in a best-of-three super regional to tie for ninth place nationally. Cortland also captured the SUNYAC regular-season title with an 18-0 record and was the only NCAA school at any level to go unbeaten during conference regular-season play.

The Red Dragons are scheduled to begin their regular-season schedule with games versus Pitt Bradford and Randolph-Macon on Feb. 15 and another game versus Randolph-Macon on Feb. 16 in Ashland, Va.