It’s that time of year again: baseball season.

The Pitt baseball and softball teams kick… It’s that time of year again: baseball season.

The Pitt baseball and softball teams kick off their spring seasons this weekend with a series of games in Florida.

The baseball team — ranked No. 30 by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s preseason poll — opens up the season in the Big East/Big Ten Challenge with three games in Clearwater, Fla., this weekend against Illinois, Iowa and Purdue.

The Panthers’ baseball team is coming off one of its best seasons in recent memory after going 38-18, a near miss from qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.

The  led the nation in batting average with a collective .363 mark last season.

Catcher Kevan Smith and pitcher Matt Iannazzo were named to this season’s preseason All-Big East team.

Meanwhile, the softball team heads to Miami, Fla., this weekend for the FIU Blue and Gold Tournament.

The Panthers will play two games on Friday, taking on Providence and Florida International, before taking on Georgia Tech and Illinois on Saturday. They close out the weekend with another contest against Florida International on Sunday.

The softball team finished last season 27-25 and is returning 15 letter winners from that season, including All-Big East pitcher Cory Berliner.

Check back later this week for previews of each team.