Note: Saturday's season opener has been pushed back to a 3 p.m. (CST) start at Al Ortolani Field.

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PITTSBURG — The Pitt State baseball team will make its 2013 season debut this weekend (Feb. 16-17) with a two-game home series against Maryville University.

The two sides will meet at 2 p.m. (CST) Saturday and face off again Sunday at 1 p.m. at Al Ortolani Field.

The Gorillas are coming off a 20-28 campaign in 2012. Pitt State returns seven position players and four pitchers from last year's squad. Maryville posted a 15-34 record last season and is currently 0-2 after dropping a season-opening twinbill against Harding University on Feb. 9.

Saturday will mark the beginning of Matt Murray's coaching career at Pittsburg State.  Murray spent the past five seasons (2008-12) as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Central Missouri. He helped guide the Mules to three NCAA Division II World Series berths (2008, 2010-11). In 2007, he served as an assistant coach at Kansas State.

The Gorillas return their top three statistical hitters from 2012 in sophomore outfielder Luke Bordewick and junior infielders Brad Foss and Evan Thomas. Matt Stalcup, the 2012 MIAA leader in strikeouts (10.7 9/IP) and an honorable mention MIAA selection, returns as the top arm on the Gorillas' pitching staff.

Bordewick batted .342 with six doubles and 15 RBIs last year in 76 plate appearances, while Foss hit .323 with a team-leading 17 doubles. Thomas led the Gorillas with 32 RBIs while batting .319. He also tied for a team-high six home runs.

Stalcup, a senior lefthander, is expected to take the mound Saturday for the Gorillas. He posted a team-leading 7-6 record and a 3.74 ERA, registering 92 strikeouts in 77.0 innings of work. Stalcup allowed opponents to bat just .236 on the season.

Senior righthander Cody Wren is slated to start Sunday. Wren made 13 relief appearances for the Gorillas in 2012, posting a 1-2 record with a 4.38 ERA. He logged 18 strikeouts in 24.7 innings of work.