It’s that time of year again.

The University of Washington baseball team begins the 2008 season this weekend in a four-game road series against UC Riverside, and for the first time in history, every NCAA team will begin the season on the same day.

UW coach Ken Knutson told GoHuskies.com that the new NCAA rule could give the Dawgs an advantage.

“This time of year, usually you’d see some team be 10-0 already,” Knutson said.

The Huskies are looking to start junior left-handed pitcher (LHP) Nick Haughian in today’s opener, with junior right-handed pitcher (RHP) Jason Erickson, senior RHP Elliott Cribby and junior RHP Jorden Merry rounding out the series Monday.

Haughian started 13 games last season and also made five relief appearances, posting a 6.44 earned run average going 4-7.

Besides most of the pitching staff, there were questions about the projected lineup early this year. Knutson, however, seemed to feel optimistic about the upcoming season.

“We’re really excited about how the team has been working,” Knutson told GoHuskies.com. “There’s really a great amount of talent. Just like most seasons, if it comes together and we stay healthy, we’ll be pretty good.”

The Huskies will be playing this year with a good mix of veteran experience and fresh faces. Catcher Joey Dunn and center fielder Michael Burgher, both returning seniors, are expected to get starts in their respective positions in the upcoming series against UC Riverside; new faces like first baseman Troy Scott, second baseman Julien Pollard, and short stop Pierce Rankin, all freshmen, are listed as probable starters this season on GoHuskies.com.

Despite the positive feeling coming from Husky Ballpark, the UW baseball team still has to contend with what could be the roughest conference in the nation, the Pac-10.

Three different Pac-10 teams, UCLA, Arizona, and Arizona State, were ranked No. 1 in different pre-season polls. All three, alongv with two-time defending NCAA champion Oregon State, were ranked in the top 18 spots in a pre-season coaches’ poll.

Following their season opener in Riverside, Calif., the Dawgs make their way back for their home opener in a single game against Lewis and Clark State at Husky Ballpark Wednesday.

[Reach reporter Allen Wagner at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.]