The Arizona baseball team begins its 2004 season against UC Riverside today at 3 p.m. at Frank Sancet Field.

The No.16 Wildcats open head coach Andy Lopez's third season at the Arizona helm with high expectations after making the playoffs a year ago.

"(The season) has been a long time coming," said sophomore catcher Nick Hundley. "We're ready to go and really excited about the opportunity to start."

The Wildcats will play a three-game set against the Highlanders (1-3), with games tomorrow and Sunday at 1 p.m.

UC Riverside comes into the series with four games under its belt. The Highlanders won one game out of three against Santa Clara last weekend and fell to UCLA 4-1 Tuesday.

The Wildcats last faced the Highlanders in 2002, taking two of three from the Big West foe.

Although Arizona returns with a large portion of its offense from a year ago, the pitching staff enters 2004 with plenty of questions.

"We've got some guys who didn't throw a lot last year. But they will throw a lot this year," Lopez said. "It's a win-win situation. We're going to find out what they can do."

Junior Koley Kolberg earned the opening day start for the Wildcats and comes into the contest as the team's No. 1 pitcher.

"It's a great honor to be the first pitcher of the year and it definitely comes with a load (of responsibility)," said Kolberg, who transferred from Navarro Junior College last fall. "It's something I expected, but I would have settled for anything. But I earned it and I'm happy that I am (the starter)."

Lopez will trot out two more right-handers tomorrow and Sunday, with red shirt sophomores Kevin Guyette and Luis Cortez.

Out of the three weekend starters, only Guyette has game experience at the Division I level. Guyette threw 50.2 innings in 16 appearances for the Wildcats last season and posted a 4.80 earned run average.

"They are getting a lot better," said Hundley of the pitching staff. "We've got the resources to be successful and if they keep improving, it'll be a good group."

The Wildcats will try to make up for inexperience on the mound with depth at the plate.

Arizona enters the season with 86 percent of its offensive production from a year ago.

Leading the pack is junior outfielder Jeffrey Van Houten, who won last year's Pac-10 batting title with a .413 average.The Wildcats will continue their season next weekend when they host 2003 College World Series participant Cal State Fullerton.