ARLINGTON, Texas – Nearly nine months since the final out of the 2018 season, UTA Baseball is set to open the 2019 campaign on Friday in a four-game series at Southland Conference-member Texas A&M - Corpus Christi. First pitch for the season opener is set for 6:30 p.m. at Chapman Field.

MATCHUP: UTA at Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
WHEN: Friday, Feb 15 - Monday, Feb. 18
WHERE: Chapman Field | Corpus Christi, Texas

SERIES SCHEDULE
Game One: Friday, Feb. 15 at 6:30 p.m.
Live Stats | Live Video
Game Two: Saturday, Feb. 16 at 4 p.m.
Live Stats | Live Video
Game Three: Sunday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m.
Live Stats | Live Video
Game Four: Monday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m.
Live Stats | Live Video

UTA PROBABLE STARTERS
Fri. | 6:30 p.m. | LHP Kody Bullard (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Sat. | 4 p.m. | RHP Ka'ikepono Anderson (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Sun. | 2 p.m. | TBA
Mon. | 1 p.m. | TBA

SEASON OPENERS
Over the last five seasons, UTA is 1-4 in season openers.

OLSON ON A WATCH LIST
UTA redshirt senior catcher Will Olson was named to the 2019 Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List, the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation announced.

The award, created by the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation, was open to nominations from all Division I baseball programs in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico. This year's watch list consists of 30 players representing 26 programs in the five states. The BBCSA is based on performance at the plate, academics and personal integrity.

The Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award has had two winners to date, Hunter Hargrove (Texas Tech, drafted by the Oakland A's) and Devlin Granberg (Dallas Baptist, drafted by the Boston Red Sox).

Olson, a native of Sherman, Texas and a graduate of Sherman HS, hit .270 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs last season for the Mavericks. A 2017 Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection, Olson also drew a team-high 30 walks and registered 13 doubles and scored 23 runs.

The BBCSA will announce finalists for the award in May. The winner of the third annual Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award presented by SR Bats will be announced in June and honored at a gala in the fall.

PRESEASON POLL
The UTA baseball team was picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt Conference West Division in the 2019 SBC Preseason Coaches' Poll that was released on Wednesday (Jan. 30). The Mavericks garnered 36 total points in the poll.

The reigning Sun Belt baseball regular season and tournament champions, Coastal Carolina, and the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana are the East and West Division favorites, respectively, in the SBC preseason coaches' poll.

Head coach Darin Thomas and the Mavs return three starters from last year's team that finished the season 22-35 overall and went 11-19 in Sun Belt play.

2019 SCHEDULE
The 2019 schedule for UTA baseball is a 56-game slate that includes 24 home contests, 31 road games and a neutral site match-up at Globe Life Park. 
  
The start to the 2019 slate is road-heavy, as the Mavericks will play 13 of the first 18 games of the season away from home. UTA opens the season in Corpus Christi for a four-game set with Texas A&M - Corpus Christi Feb. 15-18.

The Mavs home slate begins with the Arkansas-Pine Bluff single-game (Feb. 20), followed by the UTA Classic (Feb. 22-24), before the squad heads back out on the road for nine straight games. The Mavs will play four games during the Classic, including a pair against Stephen F. Austin (Feb. 22 and Feb. 24) and two versus Wichita State (Feb. 23 and Feb. 24).

SEASON TICKET INFORMATION
Season tickets are now on sale for the 2019 UT Arlington baseball season, beginning at just $75. All seating is general admission, and tickets can be secured by logging on to UTATickets.com.

FOLLOW THE MAVS
For the latest news on UTA Baseball, log on to UTAMavs.com or stay connected to the Mavs on social media. Follow the Mavericks on Twitter @UTArlingtonBSB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/UTABaseball.