WAVERLY, Iowa-- Wartburg head baseball coach Joel Holst sees the depth of his pitching staff as one of the strengths of the 2016 team. Holst, in his 21^st year at the helm of the twentieth-ranked Knights in the d3baseball.com Top 25 preseason poll said, "(success) begins with pitching. Last year at this time we were concerned with some sophomores and they really came along and had a great season for us. We had the opportunity to win an Iowa Conference championship and compete at the national level in regionals."

One of those veteran pitchers is senior Parker Bolt (Reinbeck). He was the team's number one pitcher in the rotation and started 12 games, had seven wins, 60 strikeouts, 2.94 ERA and pitched six complete games a year ago.

"Our pitchers really have improved as the off-season programs have been positive and we've seen a lot of velocity increases," said Holst. "We also have a strong group of juniors in Taylor Gilson, Max Langeinrich, Michael Knouse and Shane Chafa."

Gilson matched Bolt's win total and had a 2.31 ERA. Langeinrich started 11 games, had five wins and 45 strikeouts. Knouse was in the mix for the fourth starter spot and also made appearances in relief.

Some other pitchers that Holst sees contributing are senior Andy Sorenson (Janesville) and Tanner Eckhart (Monticello, Minn.). "Sorenson had good numbers for us and I probably should have pitched him a little more as he led our team in ERA," he said. "Eckhart could be tremendous for us as he's knocking on that fourth starter position for us right now; throws in the upper 80s and has a lot of really good pitches.

"He could be a draft kid as we move forward through his career," continued Holst. "He's going to have some opportunities here early in the season and can see some scouts liking what they see."

Another positive is that all of the relief pitchers return and some of those key guys are junior Gavin Nadermann (Epworth) and sophomore Chris Tomkins (Dubuque). "Gavin has a knack of coming in to tough situations and getting it done for us," said Holst. "Chris was a freshman last year and was similar."

The Orange and Black lost three multi-year starters in the field at first and third base and catcher. "It's tough to replace those seniors but we have a number of guys trying to step forward," said Holst. "We return our middle infield in shortstop Ty Mougin and second baseman Tyler Willis. Mougin has always been a really good defensive player and Willis has been a great leader and is looking forward to a strong senior year."

A potential positional change will be senior Milton Croes (Noord, Aruba) in the mix at first base with sophomore David Fitzgerald (Dubuque), after being the team's designated hitter last season.

At third base, Holst sees sophomores Zach Hovak (Roland) and Blake Mahoney (Des Moines) and senior Tanner Johnson (Oak Creek, Wis.) looking for time at this position.

Another veteran group leads the outfielders in senior Ryan Kemp (Keokuk) and returning IIAC Player of the Year, junior Jake Thumann (DeWitt) in left field. Senior Robbie Anstoetter (Farley) looks to put together a strong senior year while Mahoney and junior Austin Lechtenberg (DeWitt) will also provide depth.

The program lost a four-year starter behind the plate to graduation in Blake Wilson but Holst feels like there are two juniors and a sophomore that look to fill that spot in juniors Mike Brown (Bettendorf), Samuel Van Fleet (St. Paual) and sophomore Cody Hyler (Des Moines).

Wartburg will play 12 games between the varsity and junior varsity squads during its seven days in Florida. At the annual spring sports media day, Holst joked that the team should travel to Ohio instead as majority of the spring break opponents hail from this state in Marietta, Mount Union and Ohio Northern.

The weekend after the Knights return home from their southern trip, they will host St. Olaf in a weekend series for their home opener, then St. Thomas who was picked to finish second in the MIAC coaches preseason poll, before the IIAC schedule begins.

"I think Wartburg and Buena Vista will be the two favorites to win our league," said Holst. "Bv has a lot of guys returning and will have a high level of motivation after they were picked to win IIAC last year and struggled a little bit. Coe lost a lot to graduation but got hot towards end of season as they advanced to the Regional Final. Loras has a number of returners and the league will be competitive."

Fans visiting Hertel Field this season will see the addition of the Knief Outdoor Athletics Pavillion, which will add restrooms and concessions. Inside, the baseball team has been able to have live at-bats with the pitching simulator while the lacrosse and soccer teams will also benefit from this new structure with the team meeting room and other training additions.

The Orange and Black will open their 2016 season Monday, Feb. 29 against John Carroll.