As the baseball team prepares to defend its Iowa Conference title, Coach Carl Tebon already was excited about his returning pitchers, and a solid group of first-year pitchers might be the icing on the cake for the Duhawks this spring.
“Our pitching staff is a mainstay on our team,” Tebon said.
Four members of the starting rotation will be returning from last season, including first-team All-Conference selection Austin Safranski, a sophomore; second-team All-Conference selection Kyler Laurie, a senior; and juniors Kevin Moriarity and Cole Boge. There is a lot of experience on the staff, but also something rare about that experience.
“We have only three seniors (on the entire team), meaning the majority of experience we have on our staff comes from guys who are sophomores and juniors,” Tebon said.
Tebon also likes what he sees from newcomers who are vying for spots on the pitching staff. He singled out Ben Cottrell, Nick Panvino, Josh Kwasny and David Nowaczyk.
“This is one of our better classes we have pitching-wise,” he said about the first-year pitchers on this year’s roster.
Along with this core of incoming first-year pitchers, Tebon is excited to have junior Eric Rife healthy after recovering from surgery last season.
The Duhawks will count on senior infielder Ben Kuebel to anchor the Loras offense next year. Kuebel was a first-team All-Conference selection last year after tearing the cover off the ball last spring.
The Duhawks are led behind the plate by senior catcher John Schroeder, who earned honorable mention on the All-Conference team a year ago, although Tebon still believes Schroeder was the top catcher in the league last season. He is joined by sophomore Clay Hendricks.
“He could catch some games for us during the year to keep John fresh for the postseason,” Tebon said.
First-year catcher Chris Rock also could get some playing time allowing John to stay fresh. Together, Schroeder, Hendricks and Rock have the task of handling the staff throughout the season as the Duhawks look to make a run at another conference championship — after accomplishing the feat last year for the first time in 57 years.
The team will leave for Florida for its annual trip beginning on March 9 and will play its first game of the season on March 10. This year, the Duhawks’ Florida schedule includes: St. Joseph College from Maine, Aurora University, Wheaton College, Benedictine University and Ripon College. Tebon thinks it is the toughest Florida schedule the Duhawks have played in years.
This trip will serve as a chance for the team to evaluate their talent in game situations and determine which players will see the majority of the playing time.
“We aren’t set on a rotation right now; that is why we go to Florida,” Tebon said. ”It gives us a chance to see who can respond under pressure and throw outside off a mound, which is different than the indoor throwing we have seen to this point.”
Upon returning from the Florida trip, the team will have a week off before traveling to the Twin Cities to play in the Metrodome, where they will take on St. Mary’s University and Gustavas Adolphus in back-to-back doubleheaders the weekend of March 21-22.
