Fresh off the most successful season in Lee baseball history, the Flames and head coach Mark Brew have a tough task ahead of them. The 2007 Flames finished the season 51-15, highlighted by the school’s second regional championship, first super-regional championship, and though they did not win the tournament, their first win at the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. The biggest challenge lies in replacing a potent lineup and pitching rotation.

Brew returns only three starters from last year’s club. Most notably missing are All-Americans Lance Zawadzki, a 4th round pick by the San Diego Padres, and Andrew Shaver, who graduated after his second consecutive All-American season. Returning, however, is senior Jeremy Hutslar, All-Conference in 2006 and 2007, and infielder Edgar Mercado. “Mercado is the one player to watch,” said Brew. Mercado hit five home runs in the first thirteen games of last season before a broken hand on a hit-by-pitch all but ended his season.

Another area of interest is this year’s pitching staff. The entire starting rotation graduated, leaving the possibilities for this season’s staff wide open. Senior and team captain, Dallas Sims, saw limited starting time last season, and missed all of 2006 after Tommy John elbow surgery. He and junior Joel Matthews were impressive in fall workouts and look to be the favorites to compete for starting jobs.

There are certainly many open ends and unanswered questions to this year’s Flames squad. Brew sees the challenge of keeping a large group of players happy: “It’s crucial to keep those not on the field content.” Like every season, this will be the test of a true team to see how players react when they do not play as much as they like. Despite all the challenges, the Flames always seem to rise to the occasion.

The new season begins with a doubleheader at home February 1st when the 5th ranked Flames host Lindenwood University at 1 p.m.