SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The No. 16 Cal State San Marcos baseball team opens its season this weekend with a three-game series against Vanguard. The Cougars' season opener will take place on Friday in Costa Mesa (1:00 p.m.) before CSUSM hosts VU in a doubleheader on Saturday (11:00 a.m.).

The Schedule
Game 1
Friday, January 24 – 1:00 p.m.
No. 16 Cal State San Marcos (0-0) at Vanguard (1-0)
Costa Mesa, Calif. – VU Baseball Field
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Games 2 & 3
Saturday, January 25 – 11:00 a.m.
Vanguard (1-0) at No. 16 CSUSM (0-0)
San Marcos, Calif. – CSUSM Baseball Field
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Cougars Live – Ustream.tv/channel/csusmsports
For fans that can't make it out to the ballpark for any of CSUSM's 30 home games, you can now watch the action live on your home computer, smartphone or tablet. Just navigate to Ustream.tv/channel/csusmsports at game time for live video and play-by-play of all the action. As usual, live stats are available at csusmcougars.com.

Reserved Seating
Guarantee yourself reserved individual seats with back rests directly behind home plate for all Cougar baseball and softball games at CSUSM Baseball Field and CSUSM Softball Field. There are 30 home baseball games and 28 home softball games. Reserved seating for each sport is $100 per seat. Interested parties should contact Morod Shah at mshah@csusm.edu, call 760-750-7102, or click here to purchase.

Home Opener Saturday
The Cougars open the season at Vanguard on Friday, before hosting VU in their first doubleheader of the season on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at CSUSM Baseball Field. The Cougars have won their first game of the season for four straight years and have won their last five home openers. CSUSM swept then-No. 11 Concordia (Calif.) in a three-game series on Opening Day Weekend in 2013.

2013 at a Glance
CSUSM is coming off arguably its strongest season to date after winning a program-record 35 games and taking home its second Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Conference title. CSUSM finished the year 35-12 overall, advanced to the NAIA Opening Round and spent the entire season in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Head coach Dennis Pugh took home A.I.I. Coach of the Year for the first time and All-American pitcher James Dykstra was drafted in the sixth round of the MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox.

Who's Back?
The Cougars will be missing 11 players from last year's squad, including their top two pitchers and top hitter, but the squad will still have some major contributors to last year's success. Shortstop Tyler Bernard, who started all but two games last season, hit .325 a year ago and will be a mainstay in this year's lineup. Kyle Kuck, who spent time all over the Cougar lineup, is expected to contribute on the mound, as well as at the plate this season. Kuck hit .306 as a junior and went 4-0 with a 1.96 ERA on the rubber. Sophomore Brandon Bentson started 46-of-47 games last season and will be counted on for a big bat in the lineup. Bentson hit .349 and led the team with 59 hits as a freshman.

Vanguard (1-0) Preview
The Cougars hold a 15-7 all-time record against VU heading into this weekend's series. CSUSM swept VU in a four-game series last season, outscoring the Lions 22-3 in the process. VU has already played a game, a 17-6 win over Bethesda on Jan. 20. Bret Collins, Thomas Mobley and Ian Sakry each had three hits and a pair of RBI in the victory.

Returner Notes
Dylan Costello started 28 of his 45 appearances last season and will spend a lot of time in the outfield this season … Adam Tapia will play the opposite corner in the outfield … Tapia hit .327 last season in spot duty … Reserve catcher Rich Montanez, who hit .349 with 36 RBI in 2013, will contribute from behind the dish this year … Jon Putnam is also expected to see time behind the plate, and may spend some time at third base … Jacob Woolsey and John Swilley will look to cause fits on the base paths in utility roles.

Newcomer Notes
The Cougars have 15 new players, seven with junior college or NCAA experience … Three 2013 redshirts will look to contribute this season: Hayden Weir, Matt Winkenweder and Terrence Buchanan … Matt Arlington, a centerfielder from San Diego City College, looks to make an impact in centerfield, replacing four-year starter Kyle Secciani … Kory Smith has looked solid at second base in preseason scrimmages, while Ray Patchen and Jake Trybulski appear strong at the hot corner.

The Rotation
CSUSM's pitching rotation will have an entirely different look than it did in 2013. Gone are starters Steve Messner, Mike Scaramella and Dykstra, along with long reliever Frank Charlton. Kuck, Brown and Justin Hertzmann will be at the front of the Cougar rotation in 2014. Brown enters the year as the top starter after going 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 2013. Brown struck out nine in seven innings of work during the 2013 A.I.I. tournament semifinals on the way to a 7-2 win. Kuck allowed just a single run with a 0.42 ERA through his first 14 appearances last year, and will look to keep his blemish-free career record at CSUSM intact. Hertzmann, who made the switch to reliever during the 2012-13 offseason, will work as a starting pitcher for the first time in his career. Hertzmann closed out the final three innings of the A.I.I. title game and recorded five saves in 2013, the second-most in CSUSM single-season history. Junior Kevin Hilton will also see time on the mound, along with Winkenweder, Weir, Addison Domingo and Matt Bataska.

The Coaching Staff
Coach Pugh enters his eighth season at the helm since building the program from the ground up starting in 2007. He holds a 193-124-2 (.608) all-time record and has led the Cougars to the postseason for five straight years. Pitching coach Pat Hause, who guided Cougar pitchers to the seventh-lowest ERA in the nation in 2013 (2.89), is back for his eighth year, as well. Art Warren and Mark Wilson are back for their fourth and third seasons, respectively. Cliff Bernard is the lone newcomer to this year's staff.