CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — The Boston College baseball team released its schedule for the 2008 season on Thursday. In the lineup for the Eagles this spring are 55 games, including 31 Atlantic Coast Conference contests.

The Eagles, looking forward to their third year in the ACC, will look to improve upon the 24-27-1 record they strung together last year. In conference play, they compiled a 12-17 record, no small feat in one of the most competitive baseball conferences in the nation. BC opens up on Feb. 22 through Feb. 24, when they will face Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Ga. From there, the Eagles will head to Fort Myers, Fla. for their annual spring training series against the Boston Red Sox. Last year, this series — one of the more exciting components of the season — featured America’s first ever look at Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. Senior infielder Johnny Ayers was the first batter to face him and rocketed a first-pitch double off him.

In a spring break trip on March 1 through March 9, BC will join St. Bonaventure, Mount St. Mary’s, Notre Dame, and Lehigh for the Palm Beach Challenge. The Eagles will play 10 games — seven nonconference and three conference — during that stretch. After the tournament, BC continues the Florida tour with games against Florida International University and ACC rival Miami.

Next, the Eagles will hit the road to face Clemson (March 14 through 16), Virginia Tech (March 20), and Virginia (March 21 through 23). It is a tough stretch of three talented ACC opponents, but BC fared well against UVA last season, winning a big series on the road. After the ACC showdowns, BC welcomes Northeast rivals Hartford (March 25) and Holy Cross (March 26) to the Heights. At the end of March, the Eagles will pack up and head to Georgia Tech for a challenging three-game series; the Yellow Jackets are consistently one of the best teams in the ACC.

BC gets back into nonconference play in early April with games against Northeastern and Connecticut at Shea Field, then they will host Duke for a three-game showdown on April 4 through April 6. Then, the Eagles will visit Rhode Island before beginning a five-game home stand. They will play one game versus Northeastern, a big three-game series against ACC frontrunner Florida State, and a game against Massachusetts. At the end of April, BC visits North Carolina, a consistent top dog in the conference, and NC State before heading back east to face Dartmouth. The Eagles will host Hartford and Quinnipiac to round out April.

Before the ACC championships begin in Jacksonville, Fla., on May 21 through March 25, the Eagles finish out the season with home series against Maryland, Connecticut, and Wake Forest, which beat the Eagles out for the final spot in the ACC championships last season.

Also on tap for BC this spring is the annual Bean Pot Tournament, slated for April 16 at Fenway Park.

Last season, the Eagles narrowly missed their first-ever chance to play in the ACC championships, when the battled it out with Virginia at the end of the month but were only able to play two games because of weather. After losing the first contest, BC lost its spot to Wake Forest. Their 12 conference wins, however, were three more than the team saw in 2006; with steady improvement, the Eagles could see the Jacksonville dream come true in 2008.