Lincoln - The University of Nebraska baseball team begins preparations for the upcoming season this week, as the Huskers begin fall drills on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at Hawks Field. Head Coach Mike Anderson will conduct 22 practices over the next three weeks, culminating with the annual Red-White Series, which is tentatively set for Oct. 7-12.

"I?m excited because it is a new year and it feels like spring," Anderson said on the eve of fall drills Tuesday afternoon. "Our primary goal for the fall is to develop good team chemistry."

Anderson, who has served as NU?s hitting coach for the past eight seasons before replacing Dave Van Horn in late June, and Associate Head Coach Rob Childress return many familiar faces, as the 36-man roster includes 17 returning letterwinners, including six everyday starters and 10 pitchers, from last season?s team that went 47-21 and advanced to the College World Series for the second straight season.

"We have some depth this season and there are going to be some dogfights at several positions," Anderson said. "Physically, we are a bigger team than we have had in some time, and it showed in the testing earlier in the week. Now as we evaluate them during the fall, we want to see if they have the talent to be successful at this level. We want to experiment with different lineups, while working to establish roles for our pitchers."

The returnees are headlined by senior center fielder Jeff Leise, a first-team All-American who batted .371 with 12 homers, 51 RBIs and 25 stolen bases last spring. He was selected by the Anaheim Angels in the seventh round of the 2002 draft, but elected to return for his senior season. Other returning position starters include catcher John Grose (.384-4-38), outfielders Daniel Bruce (.299-5-41) and Drew Anderson (.266-1-32), and shortstop Joe Simokaitis (.236-0-16).

First baseman Matt Hopper returns for his senior season after hitting .309 with nine homers and 49 RBIs, but will miss the fall after shoulder surgery in early July. Hopper, a first-team All-American in 2001 when he hit .358-12-85, originally injured the shoulder in early April, and the coaches are optimistic that he will be healthy in time for the 2003 season opener in February. Darren Hoffart (shoulder) and Justin Pekarek (elbow) also continue to rehab previous injuries and will miss the fall.

On the mound, the Huskers return four of their top five starters, including junior left-hander Aaron Marsden (8-1, 2.70 ERA), who was a first-team All-Big 12 selection and Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in 2002. Senior left-hander Jamie Rodrigue (7-3, 4.15 ERA) and sophomores Brian Duensing (6-2, 4.73) and Phil Shirek (4-2, 3.45 ERA) also return to give the Huskers ample depth in the rotation. Veteran relievers Steve Hale (4-2, 3.56 ERA, two saves) and Jeremy Becker (2-2, 5.94 ERA, three saves) anchor a bullpen that returns nearly intact from a season ago. In fact, the returning pitchers combined for 36 of the team?s 47 wins in 2002.

The Huskers open the 2003 campaign on Feb. 14, when they travel to Round Rock, Texas, to play Southwest Texas State in the Express College Classic. The home opener is set for Friday, March 7, against NCAA qualifier Wisconsin-Milwaukee.