Although basketball season is in full swing, the beginning of the spring semester isn’t only the time for the UNCW basketball team to make its move toward the NCAA tournament.

It’s also a time for the spring sports teams to gear up. The spring term brings new goals and aspirations for the quickly approaching season.

Official spring practices, for most teams, have already begun as each team’s first opponent lurks in the near future.

The baseball team held its first team practice Jan. 23 and open the season against UNC-Greensboro on Feb. 14.

Even though the team only returns three starters, the Seahawks look to build on last year’s NCAA tournament appearance. Baseball America, in its preseason polls, projected UNCW to finish 2nd in the CAA.

Coach Mark Scalf knows better than to take that for granted. “It doesn’t matter how good you are supposed to be, if you don’t come to play everyday you could easily end up 8th or 9th in the conference.”

The women’s tennis team started team practice on Jan. 11 and opened its season Jan. 31 with a loss at N.C. State. Coach Jenny Garrity has a young but talented group.

Of the top eight players, four are freshman and only two are upper classmen. Although the conference is continually dominated by powerhouses William & Mary and VCU, Garrity is excited about the new season and the direction in which her program is headed.

The men’s tennis team held its first practice on Jan. 13 and features many parallels to the women’s squad. The team is very young, starting only two upperclassmen and a bundle of freshmen. Coach Allen Farfour hasn’t made it easy on his team by lining up the toughest schedule in UNCW men’s tennis history.

Powerful squads such as UNC-Chapel Hill, South Carolina and High Point invade the schedule. Farfour feels like this tough schedule will help his team improve and eventually work its way into the national rankings. In order to accomplish that, the men will have to be successful in conference play and improve on their 4th place finish last year.

“The last two years we have finished in 4th place behind ODU, William Mary and VCU” Farfour said, “This year we are looking to break into that group.”

After the winter break, men’s and women’s golf teams start resume team practices at the end of the January and both look competitive heading into conference play. Women’s coach Cindy Ho is preparing her team for their first tournament Feb. 27, the Pinehurst Classic. The men, lead by coach Jason Widener, start their spring slate Mar. 4.

The softball team has been practicing since school resumed after the Christmas Break. This year’s squad features many sophomores. Coach Melissa Jarrell will lead her team into their first game on Feb. 13, in Raleigh, at the Triangle Classic.

The track squad opens the outdoor season March 13 at the Shamrock Invitational at Coastal Carolina.