JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman Eagles baseball team will begin the 2013 season with a weekend series against the Augusta State Jaguars at Lake Olmstead Stadium.

Friday's season opener is at 2 p.m., followed by a Saturday doubleheader with the first game beginning at noon.

Last season the Jaguars took two out of three games to win the series, with the Eagles picking up a 3-0 game two victory on Feb. 4, 2012. The Eagles and Jaguars have played a season-opening series each year dating back to 1998, and Augusta State leads the series 29-23.

Carson-Newman finished fifth in the SAC a season ago, and the Eagles were picked to finish fifth in the league by the league's coaches in the annual preseason poll. Carson-Newman is coming off of a 28-26 season in 2012 where the Eagles finished 13-14 in league play for their fifth place finish.

The Eagles return all outfield starters from the 2012 season in senior left fielder Zach Long (Jefferson City, Tenn.), sophomore centerfielder Cody Fox (Seymour, Tenn.), and junior right fielder Philip Duncan (Knoxville, Tenn.).

Head coach Tom Griffin enters his eighth season at the helm of the Eagle program, and under his guidance Carson-Newman is 220-153. The Eagles are 94-67 in SAC play with Griffin as head coach.

The Jaguars finished 13-37 in 2012, and they return six starting position players and nine pitchers. Augusta State is a member of the Peach Belt Conference.

Following the season-opening series in Augusta, Carson-Newman will continue play on the road. The Eagles will face Pfeiffer on Tuesday Feb. 5 at 2 p.m., followed by a weekend series at USC Aiken from Feb. 8-10 in Aiken, S.C.

Carson-Newman's first home game will be on Tuesday Feb. 12 at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex as the Eagles welcome Lander to Mossy Creek, followed by a the conference opening series against Tusculum from Feb. 15-16.