The Nebraska baseball team kicks off the 2013 season today with a game in California at Cal State-Bakersfield…the first of 4 games this weekend and 7 straight road games to open the season. 19 of the Huskers first 24 games will be away from home.

After today’s 4 pm MT matchup with the Roadrunners, the Huskers will play 22nd-ranked Cal State-Fullerton in a doubleheader tomorrow. The teams have meet only twice before with Fullerton winning both: at home in 1984 and in the first round of the College World Series in 2001.

The Huskers end their weekend with a Sunday afternoon game at the University of Southern California, which fired head coach Frank Cruz on Wednesday for violating NCAA rules limiting practice time and organized team activities.

Nebraska has one of the tougher baseball schedules with 18 games against 2012 NCAA Tournament teams, including two games against College World Series qualifier Arkansas at Hawks Field

Head Coach Darin Erstad, a former Husker All-American and 2-time major league All-Star, is in his second season in Lincoln. The Huskers went 35-23 and reached the Big Ten tournament…their first conference tournament appearance since the 2008 season.