HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team kicks off its 2015 schedule with a three-game series against Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina, beginning on Friday at Jim Perry Stadium.
 
Due to weather concerns, this weekend's schedule has been altered.  First pitch for Friday's contest is still scheduled for 3 p.m.  However, the two teams will then play a doubleheader on Saturday, starting at 1 p.m., to account for Sunday's inclement weather.  Links to live stats and John Asalon's internet broadcast for each contest are available at NKUNorse.com.  This season, fans can follow @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter for live in-game updates as well.
 
NKU is looking to continue the momentum from last season's improvements as the Norse posted a 14-37 overall record and a 6-21 mark in the Atlantic Sun Conference.  Both totals set new NCAA Division I benchmarks for the Norse, who will begin its third season as an D-I program on Friday.  This season marks the first time NKU will be eligible to earn a berth to the Atlantic Sun Championship in May.
 
The Norse welcome back 23 letterwinners along with 12 newcomers to the roster this season.  NKU must find replacements for infielder Zac Asman and catcher Jordan Procyshen.  Asman earned second-team All-Atlantic Sun honors after finishing his final season with the Norse holding a .308 batting average and leading the team in triples (2), runs scored (34) and stolen bases (9).  Procyshen, who was selected in the 14th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Boston Red Sox, held a .276 batting average and led the team in home runs with 10, setting a new Division I benchmark for the Norse and tying for second in the Atlantic Sun.
 
ABOUT CAMPBELL: The Camels posted a 41-21 overall record and went 18-8 in the Big South Conference in 2014.  Campbell received votes in the preseason Collegiate Baseball rankings after claiming the Big South Championship and receiving a berth to the NCAA Regionals last season.
 
The Camel return six starters and 22 letterwinners from last year's squad, including catcher Steven Leonard, but must find replacements for their top three batters, who each batted over .300.  Leonard hit .293 with six doubles and two triples, scored 41 times and collected 29 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 12 attempts.  Outfielder Danny Pardo comes back for his sophomore season after recording a .271 batting average with seven doubles, three triples and three home runs.
 
Right-handed pitcher Heath Bowers is expected to take the mound against the Norse in Friday's matchup.  Bowers posted a 3.04 earned run average and 10-4 record over 115.1 innings of work, and he collected a team-leading 101 strikeouts, which ranked in the top 30 nationally, while walking just 33 batters in 2014. Saturday's projected starter will be Nick Thayer, a right-handed junior college transfer, who led Iowa Western to the NJCAA National Championship last season.  He went 3-2 on the mound with a 2.48 ERA. 
 
Head coach Justin Haire enters his first season at the helm for the Camels.  He spent the previous seven seasons as an assistant coach for Campbell, serving as the team's associate head coach in 2014.  Haire helped the Camels claim more than 40 victories in each of the last three seasons, totaling 131 wins over that time, including a school record 49 in 2013 on the way to the Big South regular-season title and a national ranking.
 
AGAINST THE BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE: NKU has only faced one other Big South Conference opponent in the team's 43 seasons.  The Norse faced off against Winthrop in the 1985 NAIA Regional Tournament, holding on for a 10-9 victory over the Eagles.
 
AWARD WINNERS: NKU returns a pair of All-Atlantic Sun performers from 2014.  Senior outfielder Cole Bauml received a spot on the all-conference second team, while sophomore shortstop Kyle Colletta earned a spot on the All-Freshmen team.
 
Bauml finished his first season at NKU with a .337 batting average, which ranked second on the team, in 2014.  His team-leading .567 slugging percentage landed fifth in the Atlantic Sun, and Bauml's 18 doubles also led the Norse and landed fourth in the conference.  He collected seven home runs during the season to finish eighth in the league, and he added a team-leading 38 RBIs, one triple and seven stolen bases for the Norse.
 
Colletta batted .281 during his freshman campaign with NKU.  He collected five doubles and 14 RBIs, and he scored 20 runs.  He drew a team-high 19 walks and posted a .955 fielding percentage, spending his time in the infield as the shortstop.  Colletta also saw action on the mound for the Norse, recording a team-leading 5.65 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 36.2 innings of work.
 
ON THE MOUND: The Norse strengthened their pitching staff after struggling with injuries in 2014 as 16 hurlers will challenge for time on the mound.  Earning Friday's start against Campbell will be senior left-hander Matt Jefferson, who returns after redshirting last season.  In 2013, Jefferson recorded a 4.76 ERA and pitched two complete games in 14 starts.  He led the team with 51 strikeouts and walked just 27 batters over 87.0 innings of work.
 
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Jake Shaw will start on Saturday after posting a 7.62 ERA with four saves and two victories during his freshman season.  He struck out 36 batters over 24 appearances and earned three starts.  Fellow righty Wendell Wright, who is expected to take the mound in the series finale, finished 2014 with a 6.49 ERA over 16 appearances, including 11 starts.
 
Senior lefty Cody Cooper returns for his senior campaign as well after leading the team with 43 strikeouts over 85.2 innings on the mound.  He collected a team-leading three victories and posted a 7.46 ERA in 18 appearances, including a pair of complete-game performances.
 
Junior right-hander Aric Harris and southpaw Adam Jafine each saw their 2014 seasons cut short with injuries and look to pick up where they left off last season.  Harris went 1-1 over seven appearances and five starts en route to a 7.20 ERA with 24 strikeouts.  Jafine started each of the 11 games he appeared in, and he recorded a 7.60 ERA and struck out 24 batters as well.
 
Newcomers Zac Edwards, Tyler Miller, Justin Watts, Kevin Herren, Nick Beard, Trey Ganns and Pierce Knisley, will join Garrett Schrantz, Evan Korson and Alex Bolia to add depth and make a contribution to the 2014 pitching staff.
 
BEHIND THE PLATE: The 2014 roster for NKU features three catchers looking to fill the void left by Jordan Procyshen, who was drafted in the 14th round of the MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox.  Junior Logan Spurlin is projected to get the starting nod on Friday against Campbell, having spent a majority of his first two seasons at first base.  Last season, Spurlin led the team with a .350 batting average and .416 slugging percentage.  He recorded 16 doubles, four home runs, 26 runs scored and 32 RBIs during his sophomore campaign.
 
Redshirt junior Cody Kuzniczci, who is expected to start in right field in the season opener, was one of just two Norse to start every game in 2014, and he batted .286 with 14 doubles and six home runs. He scored 30 times and drove in 27 runs.
 
Redshirt freshman Nate DeNicola will add depth behind the plate for NKU after redshirting at Indiana Southeast last season.  As a senior at Atherton High School in Louisville, Kentucky, he earned all-district and all-region honors for his performance as he helped the Rebels capture the district championship.
 
IN THE INFIELD: Returning to the infield this season will be a strong core of veterans.  Sophomore Kyle Colletta comes back at shortstop after an impressive freshman season, where he earned Atlantic Sun All-Freshmen Team honors after batting .281 with five doubles and 14 RBIs.  He posted a .955 fielding percentage, having only committed nine errors and collecting 137 assists in 2014.
 
A pair of seniors will be looked upon to direct the infield as well.  David Head will return to third base for his final collegiate season.  Last year, Head recorded a .204 batting average with four doubles over 35 games.  Caleb Lonkard is expected earn the start at second base on Friday, having posted a .969 fielding percentage in 2014.
 
Junior transfer Clark Pence looks to make an immediate impact in his first season with the Norse, listed as the projected starter at first.  Clark boasted a .355 batting average with 49 hits and 35 RBIs last season at Kaskaskia College.
 
Returnees Quint Heady, Brad Bohlen and Josh Myers will look to bolster the infield corps, as will freshmen Dominic Mercurio and Mike Moffatt.
 
IN THE OUTFIELD: Two of last season's regular outfielders are expected to return to their posts in 2015.  Senior Cole Bauml, who earned second-team All-Atlantic Sun honors last season, comes back to center field for his final season after batting .337 with a team-high 18 doubles and 38 RBIs.  He hit seven home runs and successfully stole seven bases for the Norse.
 
Redshirt sophomore Ryan LeFevers returns to the outfield force for NKU.  In 2014, LeFevers finished with a .216 batting average with three doubles and one triple while recording a .953 fielding percentage over 28 games.
 
Redshirt sophomore Conor Ledger reappears on the Norse roster this season after sitting out last season while recovering from a season-ending injury in 2013 and will look to challenge for playing time in the outfield, as will Ryan Hinz, Dominic Faron, Anthony Vagnier and Taylor Sears.
 
OPENING DAY RESULTS: NKU is 17-25 all-time in season openers.  Last season, Troy built a 3-0 lead before using a four-run eighth inning to secure a 7-0 victory over the Norse to start 2014.  Cody Cooper surrendered just two earned runs over seven innings of work, but NKU was limited to just four hits on the night.
 
The team's last win to start the season came on Feb. 19, 2011, when the Norse defeated Montevallo, 15-7.  Eight of the nine NKU starters claimed multiple hits on the day, led by Bradley Vanderglas, who went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and five RBIs.
 
PRESEASON POLL: NKU was picked to finish eighth in the 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference Preseason Poll.  Kennesaw State, which captured the 2014 Atlantic Sun Championship and advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals, was tabbed to take the top spot with six first-place votes and 61 total points.  Regular-season champion Florida Gulf Coast was picked to finish second with 55 points and one top-spot vote.
 
Lipscomb came in third in the coaches poll, receiving the final first-place nod to enhance 48 points, while North Florida and Jacksonville rounded out the top five with 38 and 31 points, respectively.  Stetson received 29 points for a sixth-place preseason prediction, while USC Upstate was selected to finish in seventh place just above the Norse.
 
ABOUT THE HEAD COACH: Todd Asalon is entering his 15th season as the baseball head coach at NKU. Asalon owns a 456-356-1 record in 14 years as the leader and led NKU to the Division II regional tournament eight times.  During his tenure, 11 players, including nine pitchers, have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.  Last season, catcher Jordan Procyshen was selected in the 14th round by the Boston Red Sox.  Asalon coached current MLB pitcher Nate Jones of the Chicago White Sox.