Kearney, Neb. - The Nebraska-Kearney baseball team begins its 2012 season Friday afternoon with a single nine inning game at 8th-ranked Emporia State.

The Lopers and Hornets meet Friday at 3:00 p.m., play Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and finish the series Sunday at noon. Live stats for the series can be found HERE.

This is the first time these two teams have met on the diamond since 2004 when UNK beat ESU 1-0 in Emporia.

UNK will basically field a new team this spring as 16 seniors graduated off last  year's 38-19 squad. Senior pitchers Mike Loseke (Arvada, Colo.), Mike Nowak (Omaha Roncalli) and Yancy Birch (Grand Junction, Colo.), along with junior catcher Chandler Klute (Kearney H.S.), are some of the veterans on this year's squad.

Emporia, one of the powers of the MIAA, went 43-12 (21-3 at home) in 2011 but has to replace three fourths of its infield. The Hornets do return 25 wins from its starting rotation.

UNK remains on the road next weekend when it travels to another future MIAA rival in Missouri Western State.