SEARCY – Harding kicks off the 2013 baseball season Saturday and Sunday with a pair of doubleheaders against Maryville at Jerry Moore Field. Saturday's doubleheader starts at noon, and Sunday's games start at 1 p.m.

Harding returns six starters off last season's 24-25 team and returns two of its three weekend starting pitchers.

Senior Billy Ninemire and junior Matt Calhoun are Harding's top two returning hitters. Ninemire hit a team-high .318, scored 25 runs, and had 27 RBI. Calhoun hit .294, had four of Harding's nine home runs, and tied for the team lead with 28 RBI.

On the mound, seniors Lucas Waddell and Hayden Shirley will start two of the weekend's four games. Waddell was 6-4 last season with a 2.99 ERA, and Shirley was 3-6 with a 3.73 ERA. Waddell has 21 career wins, only one short of Matt Walter's school record of 22 (2000-03).

Maryville is an NCAA Division II member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference and is located in St. Louis, Mo.

Last season, the Saints finished with a 15-34 overall record and went 11-15 in the GLVC. Back for the Saints this season will be seniors Colby White (.340, 54 hits, 5 triples, 30 RBI) and Nick Little (.285, 51 hits, 24 runs) and GLVC Freshman of the Year Andrew Naegeli (.394, 30 runs, 63 hits, 15 RBI). Leading the pitching staff are returners Kolby O'Dowd, who had a 1.31 ERA in 20 2/3 innings. Brett Grempler and Mike Wilkinson both posted three victories, and Brett Hancock topped the team with 28 strikeouts in nine starts.

Harding and Maryville opened last season at Jerry Moore Field as well with the Bisons taking all three games of the series. Shirley was the winning pitcher in the second game, allowing only two hits and one walk in five shutout innings while striking out seven in a 3-1 Harding victory. Waddell won the finale, yielding only one hit in six innings in an 8-0 Bison shutout. Paul Anzalone and Gabe Fyock each had three hits in the game.

Links to live audio and live stats will be available for all four games on HardingSports.com.