HOUSTON – The HBU baseball team opens the 2014 season with a three-game series against Prairie View A&M Friday through Sunday at Husky Field.
 
After winning the final Great West Conference championship in the league's history in 2013, HBU enters its first season in Southland Conference play. The Huskies are no strangers to their new conference rivals, going 5-4 against the SLC last season.
 
HBU returns all of its pitching staff and five position players from last year's team that went 34-24-1 and won 13 of its last 14 games. The only holes head coach Jared Moon, who enters his ninth season at his alma mater, has to fill are the ones vacated by leftfielder Luke Clements, who hit .343 and was the GWC Tournament MVP, centerfielder Jake Gonzalez, HBU's all-time doubles leader, and second baseman Josh Foust, who led the team in extra-base hits, including seven home runs.
 
Senior righthander Ryan Lower went 8-4 with a 2.69 ERA overall and went 5-0 with a 0.91 ERA in league games to earn first-team all-conference honors. Junior righthander Tyler Hoelscher went 8-5 with a 3.89 ERA and was named to the GWC All-Tournament Team. Newcomer junior righthander Taylor Wright is expected to compete for a starting role with returning starters junior righthander Ross Kennell, junior lefthander Brandon Hammerly and sophomore lefty Matthew McCollough. IN the bullpen, junior righthander Josh Martinez is expected to push senior righthander Kobie Hajdik, who ranks fourth all-time at HBU in saves.
 
While the left side of the infield is solidified by junior third baseman Curtis Jones and senior shortstop CJ Jarvis, Moon will play the hot hand out of seniors Mike Chamberlain and Bradley Brown at first base, and newcomer Clayton Vaughn will compete with Martinez at second base. Martinez led the team by hitting .371 primarily as the Huskies' designated hitter last year, and enters the season with a 13-game hitting streak. Junior catcher Samm Wiggins returns behind the dish as a third-year starter.
 
In the outfield, senior Jordan McCoy is expected to move to leftfield after starting all 59 games in rightfield in 2013, and is expected to be joined by newcomers junior Thomas Clay in centerfield and junior Zach Nehrir in rightfield. Sophomore transfer Austin Saenz is also likely to see some time in the outfield, as well as designated hitter.
 
HBU will have six of its first seven games at home, before facing No. 23 Texas A&M. In addition to the Aggies, the Huskies will also face preseason Top 25 opponents TCU and Rice this season.