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PENSACOLA, Fla. – UWF baseball will open its 2019 season this weekend vs. No. 4/5 Florida Southern. The Argos will take on the Mocs Friday at 6:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday at 12:00 p.m. as part of a three-game, three-day series to kick off the new season at Jim Spooner Field.
 
"We've got a good corps of guys back from last year, and I thought our team chemistry last year was pretty good," said UWF head coach Mike Jeffcoat, who begins his 14th season at the helm of the program. "It was an enjoyable team to coach, and this team seems like they've notched it up a little higher in terms of the culture and their closeness."
 
UWF will play eight of its first 12 games at home. The Argos travel to Rollins Feb. 8-10 and to Spring Hill Feb. 13 before taking on Christian Brothers and Nova Southeastern Feb. 16-19 at Jim Spooner Field.
 
"I see the hunger in their eyes," Jeffcoat said of his team. "I hope they can continue that."
 
OPENING DAY FESTIVITIES
* First pitch in the 2019 season is slated for 6:00 p.m. at Jim Spooner Field. Pregame festivities will start at 2:00 p.m. with student group and interdepartmental tailgating.
* The best tailgate at the UWF Baseball-Softball Complex will win a cash prize from Bonfire Pizza.
* The pregame festivities will also feature free food, prizes and giveaways courtesy of UWF Athletics and UWF SGA.
* Fans can reserve their spot for the group tailgate by emailing Garron Lucius at glucius@uwf.edu.
 
UWF LOOKING FOR QUICK START
* In Jeffcoat's tenure, the Argos are 7-6 in season openers. The team dropped its 2016, 2017 and 2018 season-opening games.
* In Jeffcoat's head coaching career at West Florida, UWF has never lost four straight season openers.
* UWF struggled in the early part of the 2018 season, falling in six of its first eight games before winning 14 of its next 16, including 11 in a row from Feb. 27-Mar. 17.
* The Argos have opened every season since 2013 vs. Florida Southern. UWF is 2-4 in that span vs. the Mocs in season openers. Overall in that span, the team is 8-9 against the Mocs in season-opening series. Since 2013, UWF has won three season-opening series and lost three season-opening series vs. the Mocs.
* In 2017, West Florida opened the season against the Mocs in Pensacola, falling in the first game of the season by a final of 5-2. The team dropped the opening series three games to none, downed by finals of 5-3 and 7-3 in the closing games of the three-contest set. UWF was swept by Florida Southern in a three-game set in Lakeland in 2018.
 
ARGOS PICK UP PRESEASON ACCOLADES
* UWF baseball was picked to finish third in the GSC in a preseason poll of conference coaches.
* 2018 GSC champion Mississippi College topped the preseason conference poll with 137 total points and nine first-place votes. Second-ranked Delta State finished with 129 points and three first place votes. The Argos came in at third with 122 total points and one first place vote. The team was picked to finish fourth last season.
* UWF was ranked No. 38 in the Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll released Dec. 19.
* Senior infielder Matthew Jones from Columbus, Ga. was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason All-America Third Team Tuesday.
* A 2018 All-GSC First Team selection, Jones was also a 2018 ABCA Second Team All-South Region, D2CCA Second Team All-South Region and NCBWA Second Team All-South Region selection after finishing the season with a .351 average, eight home runs, 34 RBIs and 46 runs scored.
* Jones was named to the NCBWA All-South Region First Team Jan. 25 along with teammate Dylan Mills-Derouen, a 2018 First Team All-GSC selection.
* Jones, Mills-Derouen and 2018 GSC Freshman of the Year Matthew Estrada were selected to the All-GSC Preseason Team.
 
THIS YEAR'S TEAM
* This year's team will feature ten returning position players, three returning starting pitchers, and 14 newcomers. The staff will also feature six returning relief pitchers.
* Among this year's key returners will be the team's three All-GSC selections, plus Matt Sullivan, a two-time All-GSC Tournament selection who can play both outfield and catcher. Tony Kucera, a left-handed senior who led the starting staff with a 3.00 ERA last season, also returns.
* The team's top newcomers include lefty starter Andrew Vaccacio and catcher/designated hitter Mike Farnell. A transfer from Appalachian State, Vaccacio figures to spearhead the Argo staff after posting 80 strikeouts for the Mountaineers in 2018. Farnell, a transfer from Murray State, is expected to anchor the middle of the Argo order. He hit .319 with 10 home runs last season for the Racers.
* The 2019 UWF team will feature 22 players from the state of Florida, four from Mississippi, three from Alabama, and three from Georgia.
* This year's team will feature 13 seniors. UWF will have 21 juniors and seniors this season.
 
SCOUTING FLORIDA SOUTHERN
* Florida Southern was ranked No. 4 in the nation by the Collegiate Baseball Poll Dec. 19. The team picked up a No. 5 national ranking from the NCBWA in a poll released this week.
* The Mocs are coming off a South Region championship and an NCAA Div. II World Series berth in 2018. Florida Southern went 45-11-1 and finished third in the nation.
* The 45 wins in 2018 were the most for the program since 2005, when the Mocs captured the national championship. Florida Southern has won nine national championships in its history and has been to the NCAA Tournament 43 times.
* FSC is under the leadership of Lance Niekro, a former San Francisco Giant who is 187-115-1 since taking the helm of the program in 2012.
* UWF is 15-18 vs. Florida Southern since 2007. UWF is 8-4 vs. the Mocs in Pensacola in that span. The Argos are looking to snap a seven-game losing streak vs. FSC.

For the latest information on UWF baseball, follow the team on Twitter @UWF_Baseball.