If the fall season was any indication, Community R-6 baseball should have a strong team this spring.

The Trojans will be debuting with head coach Chris Ellersieck after he led them to a school-record nine wins in their fourth fall season.

Community is building off 13 wins from spring last year, and Ellersieck doesn’t see why the team can’t surpass that win total.

“We were 9-8 (in the fall) and were really close to a couple school records in runs scored and wearing pitches,” Ellersieck said. “I’ve got five seniors who have done this before and were part of that state run their freshman year.”

Lane Carter is one of five seniors who Ellersieck is glad to have and is “one of the better leaders I’ve had as a baseball coach.” Carter will be a potential all-conference player at catcher, according to Ellersieck, but he thinks his other seniors can be all-conference.

Cooper Rohan will be Community’s top pitcher returning, Kyler Swaim will be the No. 2 pitcher and right fielder, Kaiden Erdel will be at first base and Matthew Utterback will be in center field. Throw in junior Nik Crider, who was all-conference last year along with Rohan, and Ellersieck loves his experienced group.

“There’s a lot of kids on this baseball team that have the opportunity to be really productive this year,” Ellersieck said. “It’s going to be a fun year because I have a lot of pieces that I can move around and a lot of guys who can do a lot of things.”

Houston Hogan is a junior who is expected to pitch, Ellersieck said, Utterback can throw strikes and he also has Connor Maxwell and Carter Schafer as options. Maxwell and Schafer are freshman but will have much playing time in their initial seasons as Trojans.

There are six freshmen among the 14 kids on the roster. Ellersieck said there a lot of opportunities for each of them. Alex Poindexter, for example, can be a designated hitter and is a good backup catcher.

Ellersieck said Community’s strengths start with the battery, including the primary one of Rohan and Carter but also will be “formidable” no matter who is on the mound. He said the Trojans will be good in similar areas as the past.

“We’ll do a good job of getting on base,” Ellersieck said. “We’re going to run, bunt and play small ball. Throwing strikes will be where we shine, our infield is really solid and we have a veteran group in the outfield.”

Ellersieck said the Trojans can be competitive in the Central Activities Conference this season.

“I think we’re going to end up somewhere in the top or middle,” Ellersieck said. “I want us to be able to compete night-in, night-out no matter who we’re playing.”