LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Biola's annual Red vs. Gray Intrasquad series kicks off later this afternoon with the first game of a five-game set at 3:45 p.m.
 
The fun got started on Saturday evening, though, as alumni, fans and players dressed in their finest and enjoyed the player draft for the intrasquad series. This year's captains, Rob Groeschell and Paul Slater alternated picks for 14 rounds to build the team they think can earn them the bragging points over the next seven days of baseball.
 
"The draft was fun. We tried to step it up a little this year and the guys had fun with it," said Head Coach Jay Sullenger. "The idea is to setup this series with a draft so the guys compete a little bit and we got that process started."
 
Groeschell had the first overall pick and he began the draft by adding the Eagles' junior catcher Sam Thorne to his red team. Thorne was a captain last season, but had the honor of going first overall in the 2014 edition of the series.
 
He will be a solid cornerstone for the red team as the only returning catcher on the 2015 Biola Baseball roster.
 
Slater's first pick for the gray side was Biola's ace Friday afternoon pitcher from the 2014 season, Garrett Picha. Beginning with a pitcher is an interesting move since there is only so much impact a starting pitcher can have in a five-game series, but Picha was dominant all of last spring and Slater will expect him to shut down the red side in game one this afternoon.
 
"The teams themselves turned out very well," said Sullenger. "It should be a good matchup in this first game. Eric Diomartich against Picha, it should be fun."
 
Picha and Sean Rothfuss serve as the starters for Slater, while Diomartich and Jesse Yancosek take the mound for Groeschell's side. Both teams also have two middle relievers on the roster, as well as some spot starters in other fielding positions.
 
Slater's side is heavy-laden with returning players, with just three positions getting filled in by Biola newcomers, while Groeschell has two-thirds of his outfield taken up by newcomers Tucie Shelp and Austin Jones and has mixed in other new talent in starting spots.
 
The series will provide a clean, competitive atmosphere for Sullenger to really gauge his new talent and figure out what improvements his returners made in the offseason.
 
"There's lots of jobs in the air. We didn't have the year everyone wanted us to have last year, so it's fun to be able to play these games," said Sullenger. "The more games you play, the more you'll be able to see the right guy at the right spot."
 
Slater and Groeschell will write out their lineups throughout the series, but Sullenger will be actively involved in substitutions, pitching changes and more to ensure the series is as beneficial as possible.
 
Five games will be played on Eagles Diamond over the next week, beginning today and continuing on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Weekday game times are at 3:45 p.m. and the Saturday game will take place at noon. All games will be broadcast live at portal.stretchinternet.com/biola/

RED TEAM:
Rob Groeschell
Daniel Rasmussen
Tanner Swire
Andres Rodriguez
Tucie Shelp
Sam Thorne
Daniel Jang
Rawley Hughes
Colin Brecheen
Austin Jones
Brandon Valente
Micah Beyer
Eric Diomartich
Jesse Yancosek

GRAY TEAM:
Paul Slater
Sean McCarrell
Kona Olson
Jeremy Barth
Andrew Smith
Aaron Chavez
Jimmy Gallarda
Garrett Picha
Andrew Frank
Julian Jarrard
Tim Glenn
Buddy Brouwer
Sean Rothfuss