Baseball: Scouting Lake County

NORTH SUBURBAN CONFERENCELAKE ZURICH BEARSCoach: Rick Erickson, 1st season

Last year: 15-19

Last year's tournament advancement: Lost in regional semifinals to Prospect, 6-3.

Key players lost: P/OF Nick Sanders (Illinois Wesleyan), IF/C Kevin Johlie (Elmhurst College) SS Austin Wells, OF/P Cam Boyle (football at Southeast Missouri State)

Key players returning: P Matt Svanson, sr., P Shane Nolan, sr., P/1B Ben Cornelius, jr., P Trevor Niedzwiecki, sr., OF/C Tyler Snep, soph., IF Austin Matuszewski, jr.

Key newcomers: SS Michael Chialdikas, soph., OF Stephen Grinnip, sr., 1B/OF Kyle Obsuszt, sr., Kyle Fleming, sr., Dylan Niedzwiecki, sr.

Outlook: Pitching will be a strength for Lake Zurich this season. The Bears return their top four pitchers from a staff last year that finished with a 2.39 team ERA. Those veterans are: Matt Svanson, Shane Nolan, Ben Cornelius and Trevor Niedzwiecki. Svanson and Cornelius both made the Daily Herald's all-area team. "They (the 4 returning pitchers) are very aggressive pitchers that attack the zone and they minimize scoring opportunities for the opponent by limiting free bases," Lake Zurich coach Rick Erickson said. "To start the season, we will rely on our pitching and defense to win games. Being strong on defense will limit the amount of stressful innings our pitchers are throwing." Offensively, Erickson, who is in his first year as head coach but was the varsity assistant the last three seasons, expects much improvement from last year. "We were very young last season," Erickson said. "But we saw a lot of good things offensively towards the end of the season that we will continue to build on. Our players understand the improvements needed on the offensive side and have committed themselves to making the adjustments necessary."

LIBERTYVILLE WILDCATSCoach: Matt Thompson, 1st season

Last year: 22-12-1

Last year's tournament advancement: Lost in regional championship to Mundelein, 3-1.

Key players lost: P/OF Ben Kimpler (Miami Ohio, football), OF Brian Murphy, 1B Tim Calamari, Conor Burke

Key players returning: P Riley Gowens, jr., P/IF Colin Fields, jr., OF Dan Marks, sr., Brant Kym, sr., P Caleb Haddon, sr., IF Ryan Greenberg, jr., C Jackson Petersen, P Scott Hay, P Billy Krumm

Key newcomers: IF Tommy Rigalli, OF Nick Anagnostopoulos, OF/P Micah Holzworth, OF Brendan Bazar, OF Ben Arnold, P Billy Bennett, C Luke Plunkett, IF Tim Jean

Outlook: The talent pool at Libertyville is deep. "We have depth at every position," first-year coach Matt Thompson said. "We have a lot of pitchers who are capable of getting outs consistently. As for position players, we are solid at every position. Because we have that depth, our ballplayers are pushing each other at practice and are getting better every day. It is also comforting to know if someone gets sick or banged up a little, the next guy will be ready to compete." Thompson likes not only the depth he has on the mound, but the versatility there as well. Top pitchers Riley Gowens, Colin Fields and Caleb Haddon are all a little different. "Riley's strengths are that he throws hard, has some movement on his fastball and has good off-speed," Thompson said. "When he is on, he will be tough to hit. Colin is more of a finesse pitcher because he has great control, but he is increasing his velocity and was in the upper 80s in the fall. Finally, Caleb is a lefty with really good stuff." The Wildcats will have two solid catchers working with the pitching staff: Jackson Petersen and Luke Plunkett. "I think everyone has improved over the last year," Thompson said. "But a couple guys who stand out most are our two catchers. They both look solid." Thompson says that most of his players had big summers with their travel teams. "One of our teams made it to a national tournament," Thompson said. "I think our team is ready to build on what we started last year."

MUNDELEIN MUSTANGSCoach: Todd Parola, 23rd season

Last year: 31-10

Last year's tournament advancement: Lost in the Class 4A state championship game to Providence, 10-3.

Key players lost: OF/P Reese Dolan (Southern Illinois), C Reid Rubio (Minnesota-Duluth), 3B/DH Zack Zagula (Adrian), SS Jake Breitenreiter, OF Ryan Fairweather

Key players returning: P/1B Brendan Murphy, sr., IF Nick Stricker, sr., C/1B Brett Parola, sr., P Will Michalski, sr., P/OF Zach Zentz, sr., OF Andrew Beres, sr., OF Jeff Morton, jr., IF Drew Breitenreiter, jr., P/1B/OF Steven Sanchez, jr.

Key newcomers: OF/P Ryan Antenore, sr., OF Ryan Magee, sr., C/IF Mason Schaller, jr., SS Ryan Patel, jr.

Outlook: It might be tough for Mundelein to top its magical run from last season. The Mustangs were a little up and down during the regular season, but they put it all together at just the right time. After going 7-5 in the North Suburban Lake Division, Mundelein went on a tear during the state tournament. The Mustangs advanced all the way to the state finals and wound up finishing second in Class 4A, losing to Providence in the state championship game. Three players from that team are now playing in college, including pitcher/outfielder Reese Dolan, who is at Southern Illinois. "Hopefully, we will continue to improve as the season progresses and peak at the right time again, like last year," Mundelein coach Todd Parola said. "We hope to be competitive in a very solid North Suburban Conference." Mundelein returns star pitcher Brendan Murphy, who rolled up a 10-2 record on the mound last season. He had a 1.12 earned run average and finished with 109 strikeouts. Pitcher Will Michalski also returns after going 8-2 with 68 strikeouts. Zach Zentz was 4-2 with a 1.32 earned run average. "We return a strong pitching staff and we should be fairly solid defensively," Parola said. "But we need to continue to get better at both phases." Meanwhile, Parola says the offense will be a work in progress, but six players return that hit better than .300 last season. Murphy led the way with a .433 batting average. He also drove in 34 runs. Jeff Morton hit .365 while Nick Stricker and Brett Parola finished at .328 and .327 respectively.

STEVENSON PATRIOTSCoach: Pat Block, 2nd season

Last year: 24-10-1

Last year's tournament advancement: Lost in the regional championship to Lake Forest, 7-3.

Key players lost: P Justin Stark, P Justin Kopech (Beloit), P Tyler Pauly (Rochester), IF Patrick Loeffler (Indiana), C Robert McGaha (Olney), C Christian Dutler (Truman State), OF Dylan Molek

Key players returning: P Michael Marchese, sr., OF Henry Marchese, sr., OF Charlie Bourbon, sr., SS Jack Housinger, jr., OF Charlie Ling

Key newcomers: C Hayden Shape, sr., 2B Brandon Ward, soph, 2B Ben Chestler, jr., 3B Ryan Mcelhinny, soph., 1B/P Hayden Brotz, soph., P Ari Gordon, jr., P Michael Thon, jr., P Jacob Rosenbranz, soph., P Matthew Mittelmark, jr., C Jack Jonota, soph.

Outlook: At graduation last year, the Stevenson baseball team said goodbye to 13 seniors, seven of whom were in the starting lineup. "We have a lot of competition for starting spots this year, as we have only three position players that got significant at bats last year," Stevenson coach Pat Block said. "We are a very young but talented team this year. We are excited for our bright future. But we also know that we will go through some growing pains early on. We have 11 seniors on the roster, but 13 juniors, sophomores and freshmen." Seniors Michael Marchese, Henry Marchese and Charlie Bourbon will do their best to bring some experience and stability to the Patriots' young lineup. Michael Marchese pitched last season and got 3 wins on the mound while brother Henry played outfield and hit 3 home runs. He was also a danger on the bases with 17 stolen bases. Bourbon is part of the outfield as well, along with veteran junior Charlie Ling, who had a promising sophomore season last year. He finished with a .361 batting average and 10 doubles. "We have great senior leadership," Block said. "It will be exciting to see how much the seniors have developed and grown in the off-season. Our players put a lot of time and effort into their off-season training and it has paid off. Our seniors are bigger, faster and stronger than they were last year and they were not happy with the way the season ended last year. They were hoping to go deeper into the playoffs. This has made them even more determined."

WARREN BLUE DEVILSCoach: Clint Smothers, 10th season

Last year: 28-11

Last year's tournament advancement: Lost in the sectional championship to Mundelein, 4-0.

Key players lost: P Sam Lamotte (Grinnell), C Mike Rosenberg (CLC), C Rick Bergstrom (Carthage), P Ryan Divila (Hartland)

Key players returning: P Jack McCullough, P Nate Styles, 1B Ricky Lee, OF Robert Archbold, Parker Reinhard, SS Matt Turner, C Vic Perez, 3B/C Cal Poremba, Luke Schmitt, Tanner Dyer

Key newcomers: P Riley Kocen, jr., P/3B Evan Hill, jr., P/3B Liam Hannigan, jr., P Jeff Stajduhar, sr.

Outlook: Warren took a successful spring in 2016 and parlayed that into a successful summer. Last summer, the Blue Devils won a regional and advanced to the Elite 8. "That was a turning point," Warren coach Clint Smothers said. "We have a great group of kids that are working very hard and we can't wait for the season to start." The Blue Devils will be led by a talented senior class that is full of players who have already made college commitments. Pitchers Jack McCullough and Nate Styles have committed to Army and Air Force, respectively. Styles had 24 strikeouts in just 15 innings last year. Juniors Riley Kocen and Evan Hill add depth to the pitching staff. Kocen returns after pitching 30 innings last year. He had a 1.78 ERA with 25 strikeouts. "Pitching will be the key to how well the season goes for us this year. We need that 1-2 punch that some other teams in our conference have," Smothers said. "We are really relying on some senior pitchers to step up and carry us to be successful. I feel offensively and defensively we should be very solid and able to compete with most teams." Catcher/infielder Cal Poremba returns to lead the offense after hitting .342 last year. First baseman Ricky Lee (Marian University) drove in 24 runs last year.

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY CONFERENCEANTIOCH SEQUOITSCoach: Chris Malec, 2nd season

Last year: 17-15

Last year's tournament advancement: Lost in regional championship to St. Viator, 13-2.

Key players lost: CF Austin Marsiglio

Key players returning: 3B/P Ben Gutke, sr., 1B Thomas Boeh, sr., C/OF Alex Uekis, sr.

Key newcomers: C/IF J.R. Johnson, jr., IF/C Colin Wieska, jr., OF Patrick Day, jr., OF Brandon Lind, sr.

Outlook: St. Viator, the team that eliminated Antioch from the state tournament last year, advanced all the way to the state finals. That loss to St. Viator stayed with the Sequoits for a long time … but in a good way. "That loss to St. Viator showed us what it takes to get to the next level," Antioch coach Chris Malec said. "I think every guy on our team believes we are better than last year and they worked hard this off season to make a run in the playoffs. For example, the day after we lost to St. Viator, we had guys in the weight room lifting getting ready for this season. The results really show." Having lost only four seniors, including one starter, from last year's team, Malec has high expectations for this season. "We have three senior starting pitchers (including Ben Gutke) who are college-level pitchers. I feel like those arms and a solid group of guys who can close games behind them has our arms in front of our bats right now. I know that our bats will catch up and the guys competing for time will continue the offensive improvement we saw as a team last year."

GRANT BULLDOGSCoach: Dave Behm, 8th season

Last year: 26-14

Last year's tournament advancement: Lost in the sectional championship to Huntley, 5-4.

Key players lost: P Bryan Libby (CLC), 1B James Pendley, SS/P Matt Mason (CLC), OF Michael Bengston, C Ethan Unger, P Sean Lane

Key players returning: P Sam Fernandez, sr., IF/P Ben Kusiak, sr., IF Ricky Allen, sr., OF/P Shawn Riley, jr., IF/P Logan Lewis, sr., P Aidan Earl, sr., C Jake Mitchell, sr, OF Ray Guardado, sr., IF Brendan Dreschler, sr., OF/CNolan Unger, jr., OF/IF Jack Gorden, sr., OF Zach Biegel, sr.

Key newcomers: IF Jimmy Friel, jr., IF/P Henry Kusiak, soph., P Nick Malmberg, jr.

Outlook: Of the nine regulars in last year's lineup, Grant returns six players, which is good news. The tough part for the Bulldogs is that the three starters who graduated were big contributors and will be tough to replace. "The void left by 3-year varsity shortstop Matt Mason, ace pitcher Bryan Libby and 3-hitter James Pendley will need to be filled," Grant coach Dave Behm said. "We lost a lot from that senior class." Grant, which advanced to the sectional championship last year, returns good experience on the mound with Sam Fernandez, Aidan Earl and Shawn Riley. Catcher Jake Mitchell is also back. "We anticipate also being able to play very good defense as we return several starters," said Behm, who will rely on experienced infielders Ben Kusiak, Ricky Allen, Logan Lewis, Brendan Dreschler and Jack Gorden. There is also experience in the outfield with Shawn Riley, Ray Guardado, Nolan Unger and Zach Biegel. Offensively, Behm says the Bulldogs should be able to score runs in a variety of ways. "We feel we have a good base for success in most facets, but we still have a lot of work to do," Behm said. "We will need the senior class to provide leadership."

GRAYSLAKE CENTRAL RAMSCoach: Troy Whalen, 15th season

Last year: 18-17

Last year's tournament advancement: Lost in regional semifinals to Libertyville, 3-0.

Key players lost: C Sam Nozicka (Memphis), P Sam Ruhlman, OF Ryan Mikes

Key players returning: OF Ben Fitzgerald, sr., IF Kyle Allen, sr., IF/C Benton Troehler, jr., P/IF Coby Moe, soph., P/IF Justin Shepley, sr., P Ray Bradley, jr., P Bryce Gniadek, sr., SS Kevin O'Brien, soph.

Key newcomers: C Ben Kordek, sr., P/IF Ryan Spicer, sr., OF Jake Dooley, sr., P/IF Clay Stoeffl, P Justin Wold, sr., OF Max Snowden, jr, P/IF Jacob Rubino, sr., C Tony Neuman, jr.

Outlook: With a loss to Libertyville in the first round of the state tournament last season, Grayslake Central failed to win at least one postseason game for the first time since 2007. But the Rams are in a new conference (Northern Lake County Conference) and are back in Class 3A (after last season's one-year stint in Class 4A) and seem to have a different kind of pep in their step. "The Rams are no stranger to postseason success having gone downstate three times in the last eight years and I feel this current group has the make-up for a deep postseason run," Grayslake Central coach Troy Whalen said. Grayslake Central has some pitching experience with senior Justin Shepley and sophomore Coby Moe, who combined to throw more than 80 innings last year. Juniors Ray Bradley, Clay Stoeffl and seniors Bryce Gniadek, Justin Wold and Ryan Spicer should all get meaningful innings as well. "Our staff is not going to light up any radar guys this year," Whalen said. "But I like our mound competitiveness." Behind the plate, catchers Ben Kordek, Benton Troehler and Tony Neuman look to fill the shoes of three-year starter Sam Nozicka, who is now playing at Division I Memphis. Meanwhile, Grayslake Central returns its entire starting infield with sophomore shortstop Kevin O'Brien and senior second baseman Kyle Allen leading the way. Moe started at third base last year as a freshman and will play there this year when he's not pitching. Moe and O'Brien were two of four either freshmen or sophomores who started for Grayslake Central last year. "We were young last year and certainly took some lumps at times," said Whalen, who also returns top hitter Ben Fitzgerald, a 3-year varsity starter. "But the experience was invaluable."

GRAYSLAKE NORTH KNIGHTSCoach: Brett Hill, 2nd season

Last year: 15-21

Last year's tournament advancement: Lost in the regional quarterfinals to Glenbrook South, 1-0.

Key players lost: CF Bobby Krebs, SS Jake DaMore, 2B Jon Cesario, C Alex Carrillo, P Brendan Taskovic, P/OF Stefan Davis

Key players returning: P Pat Schaefer, P/3B Danny Yates, OF Charlie Burr, IF Chris Kelly, P Jack Van Reck, IF Declan Peterson

Key newcomers: P/1B Johnny Rennolds, sr., C Austin DeLao, jr., IF Sebastian Sancen, jr., P/OF Nate Marshall, jr., OF Nick Lovitsch, soph.

Outlook: Togetherness is the theme for the Knights this season. Freshmen through seniors, it's all one big collaboration. "After my first season as the head coach at Grayslake North (last year), I met with all of the returning varsity players to gauge their feelings about the season," Grayslake North coach Brett Hill said. "One thing that resonated with this group was a focus on togetherness. From Day One of summer camp they bought into being part of a positive change and attention to detail. We have spent many of our first two weeks of practice working together freshmen through seniors. We are counting on our seniors to lead us and they have been incredible teachers to the many young players we will count on for the next few years." Senior pitcher Pat Schaefer is one of those experienced veterans. He's been Grayslake North's top pitcher for the last two years. Danny Yates, Nate Marshall and Sebastian Saneen will also be in the rotation again this year. Jack Van Reck, Johnny Rennolds, Eric Obenauf, Eddie Erickson, Kyle Hansen and Trajan Castro will get innings as well, giving the Knights a deep staff. "We are unique in that we have so many guys we can trust in game situations," Hill said of his pitching staff. Grayslake North has three players who have already committed to play in college: Declan Peterson (Concordia-Chicago), Yates (CLC) and Charlie bar (North Central).

LAKES EAGLESCoach: Bob Holst, 1st season

Last year: 19-15-1

Last year's tournament advancement: Lost in the sectional championship to St. Viator, 5-3.

Key players lost: P/SS Ben Milweski (Wartburg), P Tim Ohlwein, 2B Max Swiatek

Key players returning: OF Steven Mogged, sr., C Tom Jones, sr., P/3B Brandon Khan, sr., P/1B Jack Christensen, sr., P Ian Haflinger, sr., P/1B Ryan Selig, jr.

Key newcomers: SS/OF/C Michael Behrendt, jr., C/1B/DH Jason Volpe, soph., SS/P Logan Mueller, soph., P/OF Quinn McQuade, jr.

Outlook: Although Lakes wasn't able to win a sectional title last year (St. Viator defeated Lakes in the sectional championship), the season ended on a good note. The Eagles did win a regional championship and its first-ever sectional game (a 5-2 win over Carmel in the sectional semifinal). "Lakes was very excited about the way we finished our season in 2016," said first year coach Bob Holst, an assistant coach at Lakes from 2014 to 2016. "That excitement and level of success is still inside of us this year and is driving us to work very hard every day and focus on execution and skill development." Holst says Lakes will be an even better hitting and defensive team this season than last season. "We have a combination of solid returning seniors and a good amount of young talent. Our depth will allow us to remain strong while key position players are on the mound."

ROUND LAKE PANTHERSCoach: Ed Adamson, 9th season

Last year: 4-26

Last year's tournament advancement: Lost in the regional quarterfinals to Lake Zurich, 23-0.

Key players lost: P/IF Spencer Daniels, P/OF Ben Graff, P/IF Nick Berry

Key players returning: OF Gianni Ocana, sr., C Zack Husk, sr., SS/P Tyler Roman, jr., 3B Amadeus Pope, jr., P Paul Lew, sr., OF Shane Gonka, jr., 1B Liam Negrete, sr.

Key newcomers: Wyatt Hill, soph., Jorge Contreras, soph., Angel Cueves, soph., Gio Cirelli, soph.

Outlook: It might take some time for Round Lake coach Ed Adamson to draw any substantial conclusions about his team. He's still getting to know everyone. The Panthers are very young, with a handful of sophomores on varsity. "It is too early to tell what our team strengths will be," Adamson said. "Since we are very young, there are many uncertainties. But we will continue to try to improve in every aspect of the game. I have a bunch of players who are determined to get better and compete." Senior outfielder Gianni Ocana and juniors Tyler Roman (shortstop/pitcher) and Amadeus Pope (third baseman) give Round Lake some experience. All three played a lot of innings last year. "We will be relying on them for leadership until some of the other athletes emerge," Adamson said of Ocana, Roman and Pope. Roman will be one of the team's top pitchers while Ocana and Pope will be counted on for their hitting. "We are not going to have pitchers who strike out tons of batters, so we will need to throw strikes and make plays behind our pitchers," Adamson said. "As an offense, we are going to focus on manufacturing runs."

WAUCONDA BULLDOGSCoach: Bill Sliker, 15th season

Last year: 28-5

Last year's tournament advancement: Lost in sectional semifinals to St. Viator, 4-0.

Key players lost: P Kevin Malisheski (Los Angeles Dodgers), P Drake Berman (Benedictine), SS Jake Grobelny, 2B Collin Shrader (Mount Mercy), C Luke Weller, 1B Brian McFarlin, OF Greg LePage

Key players returning: 2B Robert Aviles, sr., SS/P Jacob Bicknase, sr., P/OF John Herbst, sr., C Tyler Husko, sr., P/3B Ty Janik, sr., OF Alex Machon, sr., P/OF Conner Olsen, sr., P/3B Trevor Sefcik, sr., P/1B Mike Turzynski, sr., C/1B Cody Alvarado, sr., OF/2B Spencer Bills, sr.

Key newcomers: SS Anthony Cairo, sr., C Ryan Gertz, jr., P/OF Brock Glavey, jr., 1B Jake Harmon, jr., SS Kyle Meyer, jr., OF Conner Pyne, sr., P/2B Dan Sperling, jr., 1B Isaac Velazquez, jr., C Doug Antonucci, soph., P/SS Marcus Keller, soph., OF Keegan Henley, soph.

Outlook: There are big shoes to fill at Wauconda. The Bulldogs won nearly 30 games and a regional riding the big arm of pitcher Kevin Malisheski, who is now in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. "We lost some very good pitchers from last year," Wauconda coach Bill Sliker said. "As we gain experience on the mound, we think we can put together a good starting rotation." Offensively, the Bulldogs return some fire power. "We have some players coming back who had good offensive years last year," Sliker said of Jacob Bicknase and Trevor Sefcik among others. "We think we will start off by playing good defense and hitting," Sliker said. "Our legion had a good summer and we hope we can build off of that. We expect some of our seniors to provide leadership and have good seasons."

CENTRAL SUBURBAN LEAGUEVERNON HILLS COUGARSCoach: Jay Czarnecki, 16th season

Last year: 17-18

Last year's tournament advancement: Lost in the regional semifinals to Wheaton Academy, 6-5.

Key players lost: Tommy Earhart, Connor McNamara, Matt Paszko

Key players returning: 2B/SS Antonio Brown, sr., 2B/OF Brad Larsen, sr., P/OF Brad Larsen, sr., P Ryan Larsen, sr., C Nick Marras, sr, P/OF Joey Rangel, sr., CF Brennan Reback, sr., 3B Drew Winegardner, sr.

Key newcomers: P Ryan Larsen, sr., P/OF Brian Duffley, sr., P Will Ford, sr., P Jared Stoller, sr., OF Kyle Fasbinder, jr.

Outlook: This is the first year for Vernon Hills in the competitive Central Suburban League and the Cougars are excited to see how they stack up. "We have a great amount of respect for the teams in this conference," Vernon Hills coach Jay Czarnecki said. "We know that we will need to bring our A-game on a daily basis in order to have success. We believe that the daily grind of the CSL schedule will prepare our squad for the post-season. We are eager to get on the field and compete." Vernon Hills will lean on six returning starters, including three-year varsity starters Brennan Reback, Matt Gramins, Joe Rangel and Drew Winegardner. "They will help solidify an experienced defense," Czarnecki said. "The offense should be balanced with a good amount of speed, ability to hit for average as well as some power potential." On the mound, seniors Brand Larsen, Ryan Larsen and Joe Rangel will get a lot of innings."

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC CONFERENCECARMEL CORSAIRSCoach: Bill Taylor, 2nd season

Last year: 23-10

Last year's tournament advancement: Lost in the sectional semifinals to Lakes, 5-2.

Key players lost: P/OF Joe Santoro (Army), SS Matt Collins (Cornell), C Cooper Johnson (Mississippi), P Griffin Norton, P Chris Bauman

Key players returning: P/OF Eddie Pietschmann, sr., OF Austin Ehren, jr., Joey Lake, sr., P Jack Lubor, sr.

Key newcomers: C/P/3B Charley Dir, jr., P/OF Jay Ward, jr., SS Drew Wiegman, soph., P/1B Lukas Galdoni, soph., P/IF Ben Wiegman, fr.

Outlook: Carmel peaked at the exact right time last year, which is part of the reason a sectional appearance was in the cards. The Corsairs won 10 of their last 12 East Suburban Catholic Conference games to win the league title. "Last year's team was built around a veteran defense up the middle that allowed us to stay in games and find ways to win," Carmel coach Bill Taylor said. "This year, we will be young with only two senior starters coming back and only four wins returning on the mound. This year's group will be young, but not short on talent." Taylor believes that his team will be deeper at every position and more versatile. "This group has a great mix of power and speed and I look forward to them developing into an aggressive team as they gain experience," Taylor said. Senior pitcher/outfielder Eddie Pietschmann returns after a big season. Last year, he hit .379 and drove in 25 runs. He also got 3 wins on the mound.