Even with the snow on the ground, spring is just around the corner. And with spring comes a new baseball season.

The University of Utah baseball program takes a huge step up in competition this season with the move to the PAC-12. As a result, a team which has shown steady improvement under coach Bill Kinneberg will see just how much improvement they have made.

After finishing 29-21 last season, good enough for second in the Mountain West, the Utes will face six teams in the National College Baseball Writers Association preseason poll. Add to that they will be spending their first month on the road (the Utes do not play in Salt Lake City until March 21), and it will be a challenge to match last season’s success.

The road begins Friday at UC Davis. The Aggies are picked near the bottom of the Big West. The Utes and Aggies will play a four game series over the weekend, followed by a trip to Corpus Christi, TX where they will face 2005 College World Series participant Nebraska and former MWC rival UNLV.