About two weeks before this season began, the Riverland Community College baseball team found out it was losing three sophomores who were projected to be starters this season.

After a brief moment of panic, the squad took a deep breath and rattled off a record of 6-3 in its annual trip to Florida last week. The Blue Devils were able to find that success behind the pitching and hitting of two players — the younger brother of one of their injured stars and a sophomore who once represented the country of Curaco in the Little League World Series.

Mirangelo Muller, a shortstop from Willmestad, Curaco, and Alex Roosen, a freshman from Kenyon-Wanamingo, have both stepped up big time as they are starting pitchers and starting position players for the Blue Devils. They will be asked to step up for the rest of the season for a Blue Devil team that is starting six freshmen.

“Those two are huge for our program this year,” RCC head coach Scott Koenigs said. “We’re so young. It’s going to be one of those years where you just don’t know [what to expect]. I feel better about it now than what I did before the Florida trip.”

Roosen, who goes by the nickname ‘Lumpy’ and Muller have had similar impacts on the Blue Devils, but their paths to RCC were much different. Roosen had plenty of colleges trying to recruit him and RCC won out because he wanted to play a season with his older brother Sam, who was injured before the season and won’t be able to play with his younger brother at RCC until next year.

“He had a good year last year and he was looking really good for this fall,” Alex said of his older brother. “I’ve got to represent for my town and for him too. It’s kind of like a tribute to him.”

Koenigs said that both Roosens are good baseball players, but they differ in personality and size.

“Sam is tall, skinny and quiet. Lumpy is shorter, bigger and his mouth is always going. With the two brothers it’s like night and day,” Koenigs said. “[Lumpy] is a power guy and he can change the game with one swing. He’s very athletic and he can run.”

Muller’s path to RCC was a little bit longer than Alex’s. Koenigs was sitting in his office one day when he received an e-mail from a woman asking if he would be interested in any baseball players who were looking to come from Curaco to the U.S. Koenigs was one of the few coaches to reply to the e-mail and when RCC went down to Florida to play that spring, he was able to sign a few players from Curaco.

“Some work and some don’t,” Koenigs said of his Curaco players. “We’re always looking to grab some of these guys and Mirangelo’s worked out pretty good. He’s an incredible shortstop.”

Muller was familiar with the U.S. from his time playing in the Little League World Series, but he was still a bundle of nerves last season with the Blue Devils.

“I was nervous my first year over here. But I’ve practiced hard and did what I had to do,” Muller said. “Last year we had a lot of sophomores and this year we have a lot of freshmen. We did pretty well at Florida this year, and the more focus and practice we have, the better the season we’ll have.”

As the Blue Devils look to make another run at the Regional tournament this season, they’ll need to get a lot of help from the shortstop from Curaco and the first baseman who goes by ‘Lumpy.’

The Blue Devils are schedule to host Gustavus in their home opener at Riverland 3 p.m. on April 9.