Coming off a 10-12 season that saw the graduation of All-State catcher Nate Bergene, things won't get any easier for the Southland baseball team this spring. The Rebels will also be moving into the Three Rivers Conference, which should provide stiffer baseball competition.

"We've got a lot of big holes to fill," said Southland head coach Larry Luke, "but hopefully these kids can step up."

Key in their hopes this spring will be the fortunes of the pitching staff. Returning lettermen Zach Stratton, Adam Landherr, Adam Nagele and Dan Bakker should be handling most of the pitching duties. Sophomores Mike Wiste and Kirk Felten could also see some time on the mound.

"We have to make sure we can catch the ball," said Luke, "because we're not going to strike out lots of people."

The rest of the lineup should see a lot of turnover, with a number of players manning more than one position.

"I'm a big believer in having kids play two positions in case we get some injuries," Luke said.

Chad Wilson and Stratton will be working in the infield, with junior Greg Retterath playing shortstop and doing some pitching. Steve Snyder will split the catching duties with Scott Hanson while also playing some outfield. Bakker, Nagele, and Pete Churchill should all get playing time in the outfield as well. Juniors Josh Hanson, Mike Zillgitt, Travis Schneider and Jared Lewison should also factor into the team's plans.

"It's a little early to tell how good we can be," said Luke, "but we'll keep working on the fundamentals and see how it goes once the season starts."