Kansas Wesleyan's 2024 baseball season was historic and unprecedented.
The Coyotes finished a program-best 48-12 overall and were 32-4 in the Kansas Conference - the 32 victories a conference record. They won their first-ever NAIA Opening Round Championship and made the program's first appearance in the NAIA World Series.
Thrilled and proud of what his team accomplished, coach Bill Neale is keenly aware that was then and has little bearing on the here and now.
"It was such a positive thing, and I couldn't be happier for our players to be the first team to ever experience that and go to the World Series," said Neale, who enters his 11th season at KWU this spring. "It raises the bar, and that bullseye gets bigger and bigger on our back, but we embrace that. We know when we go to Louisiana, we're going to get everyone's best, and we want it."
The No. 12-ranked Coyotes open the 2025 season with a doubleheader against LSU-Shreveport on Friday in Alexandria, La., and a doubleheader against Louisiana Christian on Saturday in Pineville, La.
It will be the first opportunity for Neale and his staff to view the team in action and evaluate the plethora of newcomers during meaningful games.
"There's definitely a lot of new faces but we're excited," Neale said. "There are some program changers that aren't here anymore, guys like Jarrett Gable and Kendall Foster and Jarrett Brannen who it felt like had been here forever.
"There's a lot of good players from a lot of good programs. We're going to do a lot of figuring out in the first three weeks and even the first two or three weeks of conference what the lineup is and is going to be consistently."
The pitching staff is led by starters Nathan Righi and Brett Maddock and middle reliever Ritter Steinmann.
Righi was the KCAC Pitcher of the Year in 2023 but was limited to 34 innings last season after suffering an arm injury that required surgery. He will start Friday's first game. Maddock was (9-3, 5.63 ERA) was 6-0 in conference play and a Second Team All-KCAC selection. Steinmann (2-1, 2.79) earned First Team honors for the second consecutive season. Starter Pedro Ramirez also returns but is dealing with a shoulder injury.
Shaw Lee, a transfer from Butte College (Calif.), will join the starting rotation according to Neale.
Other returning relief pitchers are Hunter Blea, Riley Gwin, Nathan Galusha and Thalen Wright; Galusha and Wright are also starting candidates. Freshman Tyler Wise has entered the bullpen picture after throwing well in the fall, Neale said.
Position player-wise five starters are back in catcher Tyler Favretto, outfielder Jacob Williamson, infielders Adrian Villalobos and Alex Garcia and designated hitter Cruz Oxford.
Favretto and Williamson were First Team All-KCAC selections last spring - Favretto hitting .348 with 18 home runs, Williamson .318 and 17 homers and Oxford .346 and 10 homers. Villalobos suffered a knee injury in the fall and will attempt to play with a brace.
"He's a plus defender," Neale said of Villalobos. "Surprisingly he looks normal in everything he's doing. If he's in our lineup he's probably our shortstop and that moves Garcia to maybe to second or the left or even third base."
Outfielders Coulson Riggs and Eric Romero also return.
A host of new players are competing for starting roles Neale said.
Utility player Joe Finder, a transfer from Concordia (Mich.) and Southwestern, has impressed in the early going.
"He has been arguably one of our better hitters since we've been back from Christmas break," Neale said.
Others notable additions are infielders Carter Allen (Eastern Illinois) and Blake Dale (McCook), first basemen Drew Wardell (Pratt) and Fernando Ruvalcaba (Merced) and freshman outfielder Lakin Franz.
"(Franz) is hitting with our best guys right now and it wouldn't shock me if he starts day one at one of the two outfield spots," Neale said. "Ruvalcaba is a big guy, 6-6 or 6-7, and he can swing (the bat). Dale plays shortstop and second and is a base stealing threat."
One position Neale is not concerned about is catcher where Favretto is joined by three other capable backstops.
"They're potentially four of our best hitters," he said. "Jackson Harriger, a true sophomore, was on our World Series roster last year and we've got transfers Garrett Garfield (Reedley) and Jesse Conrad (Allen Hancock). They've done a really good job this fall."
Neale said the preseason approach has been different.
"The last couple years we've kind of rolled in day one in the fall and I could tell you seven or eight guys that I knew were going to start," he said. "We've added a lot of good players from a lot of good programs."
Neale expects the KCAC to be a grind once again.