Aaron Voirol should lead a strong pitching unit for Grace College baseball this spring. (File photo by Mike Deak)

WINONA LAKE – Grace’s baseball team will have a new look as the 2019 season gets underway.

An influx of new talent combined with a shift in defensive positions has produced a wave of optimism for the Lancers this spring.

Grace, who is led by interim co-head coaches Ryan Roth and Tom Roy, boast one of the most experienced pitching staffs in the Crossroads League. Additionally, Grace has several dangerous bats in the lineup this year, including two All-League honorees.

Roth was excited about the potential the Lancers have shown in the preseason. Roy and Roth have sought to instill a mindset of consistent excellence on the team during the preseason.

“Our goal is to treat every game with the same level respect and enthusiasm. We want to play with a standard of excellence in every detail of the game,” Roth said. “If we handle our business, pitch to pitch and inning to inning, we will be exactly where we want to be at the end of the season.”

The Lancers’ pitching staff should be the strength of the team. Grace has seven upperclassmen on the pitching staff, and the team returns eight of its top nine arms from 2018.

Aaron Voirol struck out 55 batters in 68 innings of work last year, and Josh Tew, David Anderson, Logan Swartzentruber and Scottie Clark each earned at least four starts from the mound.

“The entire pitching staff has worked hard collectively to improve on last season’s progress, and they are poised to take another big step this year,” Roth said. “The game begins and ends with them, and our team will go as they go. Judging by what I have seen in preseason, they are up for the task.”

Offensively, Grace brings back the big bat of Xavier Harris to the lineup. Harris missed nearly the entire 2018 campaign with an injury, coming off a sophomore season that accounted for 11 home runs and 31 RBIs.

Houston Haney and Anderson were both All-League winners last spring. Haney set the program record with 18 doubles during his freshman campaign, and Anderson batted a sensational .420 with a slugging percentage of .652. Anderson’s .420 was the best batting average by a Lancer in the past 17 years.

Hunter Ackerman has the most experienced bat on Grace’s team with over 100 games started to his credit.

Roth and Roy have made significant changes defensively as well. The addition of talented freshmen and overall player development have led to a depth of competition on the diamond. The result has been a “complete reconstruction of our depth chart,” Roth said.

A trio of freshmen have stood out immediately for the Lancers. Infielders Chris Griffin and Sam Newkirk as well as catcher Jacob Sapp have made a strong case for a starting position from the first day of fall.

Roth made sure to note that several other young bats and young arms were close to cracking the lineup as well. Overall nine freshmen joined the Lancers this year.

While the Lancers do boast a significant batch of young players, Grace has more than enough talent among the upperclassmen to compete this season.

“We believe this group has the opportunity to begin building a foundation for something that will be sustainable for years to come,” Roth said. “They also have the potential to do damage within our league now.”

The Lancers are seeking to build a team that is built on hard work and camaraderie. With a roster balanced with battle-hardened upperclassmen and a dynamic group of freshmen, Grace is poised for a jump in the Crossroads League standings.

“This team is still new to one another on the diamond, so there needs to be a cohesiveness between our battery, defense and our offensive lineup. If they are able to handle adversity and adjust quickly, they will be capable of playing clean and efficient baseball,” Roth said. “I have no doubt that we will get there this year, but the question is when.”

The Lancers will head to Florida for their annual spring break trip starting this week. Grace will play eight games in the Sunshine State.