SENATOBIA - Three weeks from today, Northwest baseball will take the field to throw out the first pitch of the 2022 season.

It's all part of a packed opening weekend for the Rangers, beginning with a home doubleheader at Jim Miles Field on Friday, February 11 against Southwest Tennessee. The twinbill will begin at 1 P.M., with the second game to follow at 4 P.M. or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game.

Northwest continues opening weekend on Saturday, Feb. 12 in Millington, Tenn. with a game against Lake Land College at noon, followed by a battle with Glen Oaks Community College at 2:30 P.M. Both games will take place at USA Stadium.

From there, the Rangers will face Lake Land and Jackson State (Tenn.) in a pair of home doubleheaders on Feb. 18 and Feb. 22, with both slated to begin at 2 P.M. Northwest will then take its first true road trip on Saturday, Feb. 26 at Wallace State-Hanceville for a 1/4 P.M. twinbill.

Northwest will then close out non-conference competition with home doubleheaders against Freed-Hardeman JV, Rend Lake, Mississippi Delta and Coahoma, while also facing Jackson State (Tenn.) once again in a road meeting on March 1.

Conference play will begin on a challenging note once again with road swings at Pearl River and Itawamba on March 12 and 15, before a four-date homestand with Mississippi Gulf Coast, East Mississippi, Meridian and Northeast, starting on March 19.

April begins with a three-date road swing at Jones College, Coahoma and Hinds, before a brief return to Jim Miles Field against Holmes on April 12. The Rangers will then close out the regular season with road tilts at East Central and Mississippi Delta, wrapping up the home schedule against Copiah-Lincoln and Southwest Mississippi on April 23 and April 29, respectively.

This season will mark Mark Carson's 17th year at the helm of the Rangers' baseball program, as the longtime skipper enters 2022 with a career record of 453-291-2 and a 239-120 record against conference opponents. The Northwest alumnus guided his team to a 24-18 record last season, marking the 11th straight postseason appearance, while ranking second in career victories behind only the legendary Jim Miles (556).

All home games are scheduled to be carried on Ranger TV (nwccrangers.com/watch) and Facebook Live, with Gary Darby, Michael Gross and sports information director Brian Lentz rotating on play-by-play duties. All dates, times and opponents are subject to change, so fans are encouraged to actively check nwccrangers.com for all schedule updates.