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Season Preview

A total of 27 players are back from last year’s championship team.  The 2010 Lancers fell just one game short of the NAIA World Series, while setting a school record in wins with their 39-17 finish.  The Lancers JV team played 20 games finishing 9-11 on the season.  The Lancers have played for championships three out of the last four seasons. In 2007 the Lancers went 29-17, and then wrapped up the season on a high note with a GPAC Conference Tourney Runner-up finish. In 2009 the Lancers went 30-23 and also ended up with a GPAC Conference Tourney Runner-up finish.

With a strong group of returning players that includes nine seniors and a terrific recruiting class, the Lancers look to be contenders for another post-season playoff run.  The Lancers will have a few holes to fill with the graduation of several key players. Seven seniors are gone from last year’s squad including Trey Krier, Zach Lambrechts, Andy Turbak, and Brett Bosn.  All of these four former Lancers will be on the coaching staff this upcoming school year. Krier was an All-American and GPAC Pitcher of the Year.  Lambrechts was a First Team All-GPAC outfielder and Turbak was an Honorable Mention All-GPAC selection in the outfield.

The Lancers will enter the 2011 spring season with a strong group of veterans and some nice additions in the infield. This group has the ability to be strong both offensively and defensively. Anchoring the middle will be First Team All-GPAC shortstop, Jason Schmidt.  Schmidt batted .455 last season and set a school record with 72 runs scored and 21 doubles.  Junior college transfer Sam Sparen and freshman Derrik Nelson will look to back up Schmidt at the shortstop position. They could see time at the shortstop position when Schmidt fills the closer role for the pitching staff.  Both Sparen and Nelson have the ability to provide an immediate impact at the varsity level for the Lancers. Juniors Jason Livermont and Justin Kemp return at second base.  Both have started at second base throughout their careers.  Livermont was an Honorable Mention All-GPAC selection last season.

Mike Johnson is back after red-shirting last season due to injury. Johnson will provide depth at multiple positions for the Lancers. Senior Ross Heine returns to third base after another solid season. Also returning at third base is junior Allen Hemeyer.  Hemeyer has had a productive career as a spot starter and could see an expanded role this season.  Sparen and Nelson will also push for time at this position.  Sparen hit .383 last season for Itasca Community College and Nelson hit .496 this past summer for the Yankton American Legion team. At First base, Josh Damewood is back after an amazing season last year. Damewood was named GPAC Player of the Year for his efforts.  He batted .467 and set school records for hits in a season and RBIs in a season. Damewood will also help out at the DH position to rest his pitching arm in between starts.  Freshman Jared Miller could provide an immediate impact for the Lancers at the 1B and DH positions.  Miller batted .538 for Sioux Falls Washington last spring and was named First Team All-State for the South Dakota Club Baseball Season. Two returning players, junior Dave Ogden and sophomore Mathias Godsil are coming off of productive JV seasons and will fight for time at 1B and DH. 

The Lancers will return First Team All-GPAC Catcher, Josh Wenande, who batted .377 and had 17 doubles and four triples last season. Senior Ross Heine will return as the main back-up, and sophomore Mike Quall returns after a productive JV season.  Transfer Brock Nelson has the ability to push for playing time at the varsity level, while sophomore Mathias Godsil will be asked to help out at the catcher position as well. 

The outfield was hit hard since graduating two of last year’s starters. Seniors Dillon Lambley and Justin Kemp split time as starters in left field last season. Both will have the opportunity to see expanded roles in the outfield this year. Lambley was a starter his freshman season and has had extensive playing time at the varsity level over his collegiate career. Also returning to the outfield will be junior Nathan Roche and sophomore Logan Kortan.  Roche runs well and has a strong arm, while Kortan is one of the most athletic players in the program. Bringing in quality outfielders was a huge priority in recruiting this past year.  Freshmen JD Urban, Nolan Merrill, and Derrik Nelson are all very talented and will push for time at the varsity level. 

The Lancers will start fall camp with a total of 22 pitchers. Nine pitchers returning with varsity experience and a strong recruiting class will help the Lancers build a quality pitching staff for the 2011 season. The Lancers return three conference starters from last season’s pitching rotation. First Team All-GPAC Pitcher, Josh Damewood, is back after winning nine games on the mound last season. The other returning conference starters are Nick Huston and Allen Hemeyer. Huston carried a 5-5 record last season and Hemeyer went 5-1.  Left-hander Nick Wenande has thrown many innings at the varsity level over his career and was 4-4 as the Lancers mid-week starter last season. The bullpen also brings back experience. Record-setting closer Jason Schmidt returns for his junior campaign for the Lancers. Jason owns the school record with 16 career saves, 10 saves in a season, and a 1.54 ERA in a season in 2009.   Also returning to the bullpen is sophomore left-hander Josh Homme and junior Jake Broscha.  Homme had a quality freshman season appearing in 17 games and was able to get some big outs for the Lancers. Broscha appeared in 15 games and had a productive season. Senior Jesse Bailey and juniors Adam McVay, Dave Ogden, and Kris Osborn look to compete for varsity time. The coaching staff brought in a solid core of incoming recruits.  Junior College transfer Josh Engquist has the ability to provide immediate help at the varsity level.  The incoming freshman class is heavy on talent as Dominic Wieseler, Will Ryan, Lefty, Mike Schwartz, and Derrik Nelson could all could see varsity innings this upcoming spring.      

The Lancers look to excel on the field and in the classroom as well.  The 2009-2010 Lancers had seven Pflieger-Olson Academic All-Conference selections and six Daktronics All-America Scholar Athlete selections for NAIA Baseball.  The Lancers also received the NAIA Scholar Team Award for the seventh consecutive year with the team having a 3.12 cumulative team GPA.

Coach Bernatow is approaching his seventh season with excitement and optimism. “Last season was a remarkable championship season!  It has been an amazing run the last several years. The program has really set a high standard on the field and in the classroom.  I am excited about the core group of kids that are returning and the talent of the incoming recruiting class. The program currently has an abundance of talent and the future is bright,” Bernatow continued. “We have the ability to be strong in all facets of the game. The key will be how smooth some of the younger players transition into the college game and gel with the older guys.”