Season Preview
Friday, February 26 vs. Nicholls State @ Mississippi State (1 p.m.)
Live Stats - Probable Starter: Andrew Ryan
at #20 Mississippi State (5:30 p.m.)
Live Stats | Watch Live (SEC Network Plus/ESPN3) - Probable Starter: Steve Xirinachs
Saturday, Feb. 27 at #20 Mississippi State (3:30 p.m.)
Live Stats - Probable Starter: Nick Kuzia
Sunday, Feb. 28 vs. Nicholls State @ Mississippi State (12 p.m.)
Live Stats - Probable Starter: Ricky Constant

LOWELL, Mass. – Following back-to-back third place finishes in America East play, UMass Lowell Baseball Head Coach Ken Harring and his team are ready to take the next step entering the squad's third year of Division I competition. The season begins this weekend, February 26-28,  at the Mississippi State Tournament, with two games against the Bulldog and a pair against Nicholls State.

The River Hawks finished last season 17-26 overall and 10-10 in conference play. UMass Lowell ended the year on a three-game win streak, and won six of its last nine.

"Year three gives the young guys some goals to try to accomplish, one of which is to finish in the top four in the conference," said Harring. "We've put ourselves in position the last two years to be at the upper echelon, and as long as the newcomers don't put a little too much pressure on themselves and they just fall into what their role should be within this team, we think that we have the bodies and pitching depth to be able to compete at the top of this conference."

Harring welcomes 16 new faces to his team following the departure of 19 veterans, including Danny Mendick, who was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 22nd round.

SCOUTING THE TEAM
Even with the loss of almost every starting infielder from a year ago, Harring is confident with where his players are mentally and physically.

"We had a plan in place so we knew what we were losing this year and we brought in a really good recruiting class," explained Harring. "We feel that the new guys along with some of our returners have gotten good experience and we feel that they mesh really well together. We're bigger and stronger, and we're as athletic as we've ever been."

Part of the plan was to strengthen the rotation and bullpen, along with bringing in players that understand what it means to play in a UMass Lowell uniform, and Harring is excited about the brand of young men the program has brought in.

"We've addressed a lot of needs in our bullpen. We've got some really good front line guys and I think that our mid-week starts will be a lot better than they were last year because we basically had to save all of our pitching for the weekends. We did a really good job the past summers identifying our needs and going out and getting the right players for this program."

NEW FACES
The turnover was not limited to the field, as Harring brought in three new coaches as well. Scott McGrath will work with the pitchers and Jerod Edmondson will focus on the hitters, while Vincent Redmond was brought in as a volunteer.

The skipper is proud of how well everyone has gelled since the fall and how quick the team chemistry formed.

"This team is extremely close," commented Harring. "The veterans have done a good job of showing the new guys the River Hawk way. The new coaches have done a tremendous job of working hard with the guys on an individual basis. I couldn't be happier with what I have seen in terms of chemistry. We have a lot of new faces, and we might face some bumps in the road, but it's the process that matters. We will control what we can control, effort and attitude, and in turn, we will have a successful season."

LEADERSHIP
Following the departure of last season's captains, Harring and his staff elected to go a different route and name no captains for 2016.

"With such a young team, we will not have captains. We want each player to take ownership of this team and to be accountable to each other. I look for guys who do their talking with their actions, and do the right things on and off the field. All the guys are good communicators and they are not afraid to hold their teammates to the River Hawk Baseball standard."

SCHEDULE
The 55-game slate is highlighted by trips to Mississippi State for the MSU Tournament (February 26-28), and to the Bob Hannah Invitational, hosted by Delaware (March 4-6). The River Hawks head to California in mid-March for games against Santa Clara and San Francisco, before hosting NYIT in the first home weekend series of the season, beginning on March 19.

"This year's schedule is our toughest to date, my philosophy is to play in environments that replicate NCAA Regional play, and Mississippi State takes care of that right away," concluded Harring. "The trips to Delaware and California will allow us to play in front of potential recruits and UMass Lowell alums that may not have opportunities to come back East."

Notable single-game matchups include playing at Dartmouth on April 10, hosting Connecticut on April 20, traveling to Boston College on April 26 and entertaining Northeastern on May 10.

The America East slate begins on March 26 with three games at UMBC, and the River Hawks host Hartford during the first weekend of April.