Spring is just around the corner and that means the 2025 baseball season is as well. After finishing last year’s season 21-7, the team is looking to have another strong season. 

This season, the baseball team will return eight starters to the team with many of them being seniors this year. These seniors include Owen Balint, Owen Futa, Brady Langager, Brett Mason, Joe Washburn, and Brody Zielinski. Brody Zielinski will also lead a strong pitching staff that includes Josh Dolniak, Josiah Gustine, Jay Nuber, and Jacob Snyder. When asked about how the seniors and pitching staff will impact the team this year, Head Coach John Smolinski said, “Our returning starters and experienced pitching staff will be key to our success this season. The leadership of our senior players brings a wealth of talent, composure, and competitive drive. On the mound, our returning pitchers provide a deep and reliable rotation that can keep us competitive in every game. Their experience and consistency will be crucial in navigating the challenges of our schedule and pushing us toward our goals.”

The NIC will also feature a new format this year for conference games. All of the teams will play each other twice, in back-to-back games. Each team will get a home game and an away game in each series. Coach Smolinski believes that this format will allow “for a more strategic approach and provides a better gauge of each team’s depth, especially on the mound.” He also believes that this format will challenge the team to be disciplined at the plate. Each team in the NIC will present its own unique challenges, but programs such as Penn, New Prairie, Adams, and Marian will be the toughest competition. 

There are high expectations for the team this year and Coach Smolinski says he is feeling “really optimistic about this season.” He has a lot of confidence in his team and says, “We’ve got a chip on our shoulder, and that’s going to drive us to push even harder and compete at a high level every game.”