The University of Alabama’s baseball team might look different during its season opener on Friday night than the last time the Crimson Tide played in Tuscaloosa.

Sewell-Thomas Stadium has been rebuilt in the last two years, keeping its footprint on campus while undergoing significant upgrades. The roster also has a new look.

“It’s a good blend,” head coach Mitch Gaspard said. “We have a good mix of some veteran guys and I think we have a really good group of talented freshman that I think will make an impact pretty quick.”

There are key pieces that look familiar: centerfielder Georgie Salem and catcher Will Haynie have both been mainstays in the lineup in recent years. The pitching staff also has plenty of experience.

But elsewhere, around the stadium and on the diamond, there are changes. There could be as many as three freshman in the starting lineup on Friday night against Maryland. More changes could be coming, too. Gaspard said there are still four positions where there’s significant competition.

“I think the last couple years we were pretty well set at this point with our starting nine and our rotation,” he said. “I think on the pitching end, starting there, is probably the strength of our team going into the season. We have a lot of experience there.”

Three right handers are expected to start this weekend against the Terrapins: Junior Geoffrey Bramblett on Friday, sophomore Jake Walters on Saturday and junior Nick Eicholtz on Sunday. All three have starting experience.

The bullpen has plenty of returning talent as well. Seniors Jon Keller and Ray Castillo, junior Thomas Burrows and junior college transfer Matt Foster should all see action this season.

The lineup will have to find some new production, though. Freshman Cobie Vance will open as the starter at second base, and there are youngsters in the mix in left and right field. Freshman Gene Wood, junior college transfer Hunter Webb and Keith Holcombe are all competing in left field. Holcombe joined the team this spring after focusing on football last spring. Webb spent 2014 at UA, but spent 2015 at Chattahoochee Valley Community College.

Freshman Chandler Taylor and senior Ryan Blanchard are both options in right field.

“Offensively is the area I’m probably most excited about with where we can go to,” Gaspard said. “We’re going to count on some young guys this year.”

That includes some players who will take bigger roles this season, like Chandler Avant at shortstop and Cody Henry at first base. Both were regulars for Alabama a year ago as freshmen, but they’ll be counted on more heavily this spring.

“We’ve got a really talented group,” Haynie said. “A really close group, with a lot of energy, and a lot of excitement. I feel like we’ve got something to prove. We haven’t played up to our standards or played at a level I think we can play at.”

Reach Ben Jones at ben@tidesports.com or 205-722-0196.