FLORENCE, Ala. -- The University of North Alabama baseball team will officially begin its Division I era on Friday (Feb. 15) when the Lions travel to Jacksonville, Ala., to renew a historic rivalry with the Jacksonville State Gamecocks to open the 2019 season.

First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at the new 1,000-seat Jim Case Stadium at Rudy Abbott Field.

North Alabama is a coming off a 31-20 record in its final season of NCAA Division II competition and will be facing a JSU team that has been picked to win the Ohio Valley Conference in 2019 by D1Baseball.com. JSU is coming off a 35-25 overall mark and a 17-12 record in OVC play.

Friday's game will be the first in a three-game weekend series with the Gamecocks with single games following on Saturday (2:00 p.m.) and Sunday (1:00 p.m.). It will be the first meetings between the two schools on a baseball field since 1993.

North Alabama returns four position starters and 15 total lettermen from last season. That list of starters includes sophomore outfielder Kevin Brenning of Cincinnati, Ohio, redshirt senior second baseman Davis Elliott of Brentwood, Tenn., redshirt junior designated hitter Tate Mathis of Hartselle, Ala., and senior shortstop Peyton Sockwell of Lawrenceburg, Tenn.

Elliott and Sockwell are both four-year starters for the Lions, while Brenning hit .330 as a freshman in 2018.  

UNA also returns eight pitchers from a year ago, led by senior right-hander Josh Stillman of Columbus, Miss., who had a 1.94 ERA in 2018 in 41.2 innings pitched.

A new member of the ASUN Conference, North Alabama's 2019 baseball team faces a rugged 55-game schedule comprised entirely of NCAA Division I opponents. In addition to the series with Jacksonville State, UNA's non-conference schedule includes road games at SEC members Alabama, Ole Miss and Auburn.

The 2019 campaign will mark the 18th for Jacksonville State head coach Jim Case, who has led the Gamecocks to the OVC Tournament in all 15 years since JSU joined the league in 2004. He has also led the Gamecocks to four OVC championships.  Friday's game will be the first for Case in a stadium that bears his name. Last September, JSU dedicated the new state-of-the-art facility in honor of the veteran head coach by naming it Jim Case Stadium at Rudy Abbott Field.  

Following the three-game series at JSU, UNA will open its 2019 home schedule on Friday, February 22 at 5 p.m. at Mike Lane Field against Tennessee-Martin. The Lions and Pacers will also play a three-game series with single games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.