HOUSTON - With just hours before the opening day of the 2023 baseball season, Prairie View A&M has been working hard in anticipation of what may well seem to be "Their Year."

One extremely bright spot for the Panthers thus far this season is the announcement of the 2023 Black College Nines' Preseason Polls selecting PVAMU as the #1 ranked Large College division school.

The 2023 season kicks off on Friday, February 17, when the Panthers will open up play versus Grambling State at 11 a.m. in the Cactus Jack HBCU Classic at Minute Maid Park the home of the 2022 MLB World Series champion Astros.  The Panthers will continue the weekend with matches versus Texas Southern on Saturday, February 18 for a 7 p.m. first pitch and conclude on Sunday with a matchup with Jackson State at 3 p.m.

According to Black College Nines', the Panthers strengthened their roster with a top-ranked group of, transfers and incoming freshmen that bolsters a core that was already well stocked with returning talent. The Panthers are returning 20 letter winners including six starting position players and seven pitchers that had double-digit appearances in 16 of the 30 wins. Two of the pitcher's juniors Victor Mendoza and Ty Tubbs, Jr. garnished recognition on the HBCU MLB Draft Prospects List for 2023.

The Panthers are following up a 2022 campaign where they had the best record since the 2006 season and Head Coach Auntwan Riggins was named the Black College Nines' Coach of the Year. 

 "I want to give all the credit to the players for having a productive fall after buying into a lot of new concepts, said Riggins about the 2023 season.  "When we met as a staff over the summer, the number one agenda item was making the fall more like a classroom setting and teaching to get all the incoming guys on one page with the team concept. We learned a lot about our team and we still have a long way to go. However, we have a very intelligent group of guys, and they are willing to be coached."

The Panther's first home game will be on February 28th when they host the University of Houston Victoria comes to town for a doubleheader action starting at noon.