Opening day for the Prairie View A&M baseball team starts on Friday with a three-game series at Houston Baptist.

The 2015 season opener begins at 2 p.m., Friday, 1 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Husky Field.

For the second straight season, the Panthers will open with a familiar foe as last season, HBU claimed all three games in the opening weekend as each game was tightly contested until the end.  In the overall series last season between both teams, HBU claimed a 4-1 margin as the Panthers opened the renovated Tankersley Field with a 9-8 comeback win in Prairie View.

Seventh-year head coach Waskyla Cullivan is optimistic about his team's chances this season and the pollsters agree in the SWAC preseason poll as they were picked second in the SWAC West and narrowly missed out on finishing first as they finished one point from first.

The Panthers will build on 2014 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and SWAC Freshman of the Year Cody Den Beste as he batted .309 with a .449 slugging percentage.  He was also named the SWAC's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in addition to earning second team honors as he only made two errors in 112 chances last season.

Senior shortstop Walter Wells received All-SWAC First Team Preseason honors as he batted .265 with 45 hits, 11 doubles, 18 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 2014.  Catcher Grant Dougherty also returns after driving in 17 RBIs and accounting for 40 hits and three home runs in addition to sophomore Josh Jefferson (.237/7 RBIs).

On the mound, Cullivan will have to replace his entire rotation but has capable building blocks in Jordan Stewart (2-5/27 Ks) and Charles Philpott (1-1/34 Ks).  Sophomore Michael Dewey and senior Pedro Maldonado are the top returnees out of the bullpen and during midweek play as both struck out 17 batters last season.

Following this weekend's series, the Panthers open the home portion of the 2015 season as they'll face Incarnate Word at 2 p.m. in Prairie View.