Joplin, Mo. -- With Mother Nature already cancelling one season opener, the Missouri Southern baseball team has added another game at Central Okalahoma and will open the 2018 season tomorrow in Edmond, before going to Northwestern Oklahoma on Thursday and Friday, as well. 

Southern will play a single, nine-inning, non-conference game at Central Oklahoma on Wednesday at 2 pm in Edmond. The Lions will then play a double-header beginning at 3 pm on Thursday at Northwestern Oklahoma and a single, nine-inning game on Friday at NWOSU. 

The Lions were picked to finish seventh in the MIAA preseason coaches poll released last week. The Lions finished 29-26 in 2017 and qualified for the MIAA Tournament where the team reached Championship Sunday, including defeating regular-season champ and 11th ranked Emporia State twice, before bowing out to eventual Tournament Champion, Lindenwood. 

Southern returns two All-MIAA performers in Alec Alvarez and Danny Biggs, as well as three starting pitchers in Seth Mesey, Colin Chandler and Will Bausinger, all of whom had complete-game wins in the MIAA Tournament. Chandler went 6-1 last year with a 3.29 ERA, while Mesey was 4-3 and struck out 44. 

Biggs hit .323 with six doubles, 51 hits, a home run and 26 RBIs, while going 9-12 on the basepaths. 

The Lions return 11 off of last year's squad, including Biggs, Alvarez and Mike Million, all of whom saw extensive playing time. There will be 23 new faces to the team this year.