CLAREMORE, Okla. – Rogers State baseball will open the 2023 season on the road at the Dugan Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 4 in Arkadelphia, Ark. against Henderson State at 2 p.m.
 
"It's always fun to play quality opponents, and I don't know if we could have put together a more challenging opening weekend," said head coach Chris Klimas. "We look at this weekend as a great opportunity and somewhat of a measuring stick for our program, playing three teams that represented our region in the NCAA tournament last year. We know we will have our hands full, and we will find out pretty quickly where we are at and where we need to go."
 
In addition to HSU, the Hillcats will also face off against Ouachita Baptist (Feb. 5) and No. 2 Southern Arkansas (Feb. 6) in the tournament. All three opponents made appearances in the postseason last year with SAU winning the Central Region Championship and making an appearance in the Division II National Championship Tournament in Cary, N.C.
 
Last season for the Hillcats, RSU made the MIAA Tournament for the second-straight season before falling to Northeastern State in the first round best of three series. They finished the campaign with a 26-25 record.
 
For 2023, the Hillcats return 13 members from last season's squad including All-Region and All-MIAA shortstop Jesse Holguin as well as catcher Joel Escalante and outfielder Marco Barrera. Klimas also brought in 18 newcomers in the offseason.