TIFTON, Ga. — The sports seasons change fast.

The year of 2016 is not even completed, but the boys of summer at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will be taking the diamond in early January, according to head baseball coach Brandon Reeder.

Reeder’s Stallions return to school Jan. 9, 2017, return to practice Jan. 10 and play their first game Jan. 25.

Though the weather might be more suited to hot cocoa than ice water, Reeder is ready to go.

“I’m itching to get started,” he said. And for good reason.

The Stallions are ranked 18th nationally in the preseason NJCAA Baseball Coaches Association poll. It comes a year after a 26-29 finish, which ended on a four-game losing streak, but Reeder has plenty of reasons to believe that the squad will be a strong one in 2017.

A slow start gave ABAC a 2-7 mark in mid-February, but before injuries decimated the team, they went on a seven-game win streak and held a 25-21 mark. The injuries, said Reeder, “sort of bit us in the butt” and claimed several pitchers, his starting shortstop and cleanup hitter.

About half of his roster are returnees from last season’s team. He said five position players and four pitchers were coming back. Among those are outfielder Bryce Shupe and catcher Hunter Bramlett, a pair of players he said had a good fall season.

Reeder was equally happy with the pitching that came out of ABAC’s fall season of 20 games.

“We’re going to have a good stable of starters,” he said.

Currently, six pitchers are battling for four spots in the starting rotation. Dalton Rentz, Preston Sparks, Carlton Redding and Blake Howell are in the mix, he said.

Reeder said he hoped the players spent their Christmas vacation time wisely, working out, practicing in the batting cages and avoiding too much of the holiday leftovers.

“The bar is set high for us,” said Reeder.

Valdosta State will open the ABAC campaign with an exhibition game in Valdosta Jan. 25. From there, the squad will open the regular season at home Jan. 27 with a doubleheader against its traditional opening opponent, St. Johns River State College of Palatka, Fla. ABAC will return the favor two days later with a road trip to St. Johns.

Road games will dominate the early portion of the schedule, with frequent trips to Florida and Alabama, including a contest at Chattahoochee Valley, Ala., in February. Chattahoochee Valley is No. 2 in the preseason poll. Region play begins in March.

The short start will mean that many of the planned improvements to the Stallion diamond will have to wait. Reeder said improvements to dugouts and the addition of restrooms were planned, but contractors felt that there was not enough time to complete them before the season began. ABAC improved seating at the field last year.