Lincoln – The Nebraska baseball team opened the 2014 season on Friday, as the team had its first official practice of the season. The team was able to get outside at Hawks Field starting at 2:30 p.m., before later moving to the Alex Gordon Training Complex to hit.

Head Coach Darin Erstad and several players met with the media prior to practice to discuss the 2014 season.

“This is three years in a row we’ve been outside in January,” Erstad said. “Our guys have prepared well and put themselves in a situation and succeed.”

For the first time in a while the Huskers have a nucleus of starting pitchers returning in senior Christian DeLeon, junior Kyle Kubat and junior Aaron Bummer.

“If those three are healthy they’ve earned the right to thrown on the weekend,” Erstad said. “They’ve all worked hard to get better and it’s nice to have those guys available.”

The Huskers will continue to practice over the next three weeks, before playing their opening game of the 2014 season on Friday, Feb. 14, in Tempe, Ariz., against Pacific. The Huskers will play four games in three days at Tempe Diablo Stadium, the Spring Training home of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Following Friday’s game with the Tigers, the Huskers are scheduled to play a pair of games on Saturday against 2013 College World Series qualifier Oregon State at Noon and then against Gonzaga at 4 p.m. The Huskers and Zags wrap up the weekend on Sunday at 1 p.m.

After playing 10 straight games on the road to start the year, the Huskers open a 10-game home stand on Tuesday, March 4, when the Kansas State Wildcats come to Lincoln for a 1:35 p.m. game.