The culmination of four weeks of fall practice, the Purple and White World Series, will begin today at 3:15 p.m. at Lupton Stadium. The five-game series will last through Sunday.Sophomore catcher Andrew Walker said he is looking forward to separating into teams and the increased competition between players that will come with the split.

“It’ll be fun to get out here and divide up into teams,” Walker said. “It’s a real competitive atmosphere instead of just doing the same drills every single day. It’s a lot more fun.”

The purple-clad Horned Frogs will be coached by assistant coach Matt Siegel, while the White team will have volunteer assistant coach Derek Matlock at the helm. Coaches picked their rosters through a draft process last week.

Head coach Jim Schlossnagle will be observing each team’s play in fundamental areas such as defense, base running, offense and pitching. He also said he will also look for intensity and focus.

“It’s a different environment so it’s good to see the guys be a little bit more intense and locked in to what we’re trying to do,” Schlossnagle said. “(We) want to see the pitchers throw strikes. But, if the pitcher makes a bad pitch, we want to hit it.”

Junior left-handed pitcher Omar Arif, game four’s scheduled starter for the Purple team, said the Series is the time for players to prove their ability, whether a veteran or a freshman

“Since the World Series is the closest thing to an actual game, I think (it) weighs more on how (Schlossnagle) thinks you’re going to do during the course of the season,” Arif said. “I just think it can be a big confidence builder for players who do well.”

Incentives may be attached to a series victory.

“We take it as serious as possible,” Walker said. “We’ll put something on the line that the losing team will have to do.”

The projected starters for today’s game are freshman Eric Marshall for the Purple team and sophomore Zach Ashwood for the White team.

Following the conclusion of the Series, the Horned Frogs will continue to participate in individual workouts with coaches three times a week and lift weights four days a week. The first regular season game will be Feb. 10 versus Tulane in Houston as part of the Minute Maid Classic.