LEXINGTON ? The Kentucky baseball team announced its 2006 schedule on Thursday, a slate that features 32 home games and two teams that played in the College World Series a year ago.

The Wildcats welcome defending national runner-up Florida to Cliff Hagan Stadium and travel to CWS participant Tennessee. Kentucky?s Southeastern Conference schedule opens at home against five-time national champion LSU. It is the first time in more than 25 year that UK has started its conference slate at home.

The rest of the rigorous SEC schedule brings South Carolina, Ole Miss and Mississippi State to Lexington. Kentucky travels to Tennessee, Auburn, Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Georgia. Alabama rotates off UK?s schedule this season.

The season opens on Feb. 17 in San Antonio, Texas, where the Wildcats will face Army and UT-San Antonio in a doubleheader. A week later, Kentucky returns to the Lone Star State for a tournament hosted by Lamar.

The Wildcats? home opener is on Feb. 28 against Evansville. That game opens a 16-game home stand that also features a series against Northwestern and games with Cincinnati and Xavier.

Rival Louisville is on the slate twice ? April 5 at home and April 19 on the road. Kentucky also faces in-state foes Western Kentucky, Morehead State and Murray State in mid-week games.

The 2006 SEC Tournament takes place at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Birmingham, Ala., from May 24-28 with the NCAA Tournament beginning the next week. The College World Series returns to Omaha, Neb., from June 16-26.