Van-Far baseball is coming off its first district title since 2018.

The Indians lost in the next round at Schuyler County but have mostly everybody from that roster back this year. They just need to be at full strength.

Head coach Cameron Huff said his team could be a “dominant force” this season but acknowledged there will be some adjustment necessary because of injuries. Starting catcher and pitcher Gibson Condie is expected to miss a few games due to an ankle injury sustained during basketball season, and Malik Douglas is an all-state player who will be kept off the field until he is 100 percent following ACL/MCL surgery during football season. Douglas was the team’s leadoff hitter and an outfielder last year, so Huff said that does shift around people until Douglas hopefully returns around the end of April.

“We’re going to have some growing pains early in the season, but once we get fully healthy, I think we’ll be alright,” Huff said. “With Malik and Condie both being out, it throws a curveball into what we’re trying to do. That pulls Garrett Hopke out of the outfield and behind the plate, for instance. We might be missing some guys, but it’s also going to give some other guys a spot to shine.”

Huff said there will be 21 total boys this season. Only one freshman, Cayden Douglas, will make the varsity roster of about 13-15 that Huff hopes will be better prepared after having more playing time than usual early in the season. He added he is thankful to have a new Junior Hack Attack pitching machine provided by the Van-Far Athletic Booster Club to prepare his defense.

Even without those injured players, Huff said Van-Far still has No. 1 pitcher Reece Culwell, all-state player Carson Huff, Tyson Douglas, Gaven Gaston, Ronnie Stanich and Garrett Hopke as key returning players. Huff expects Slade Keller to find more playing time early with injuries, and Cayden Douglas provides speed and athleticism even without much baseball experience. Brady Puls and Easton Sharp didn’t start last year but will be fighting for playing time at second base.

Huff said his projected full-strength lineup brings much speed and hitting ability that makes him optimistic for this season.

“Our first seven hitters are Malik, Tyson, Gaven Gaston, Carson Huff, Reece Culwell, Gibson Condie and you throw in Ronnie – who hit .275 as a freshman – in the seven hole,” Huff said. “Eight and nine is probably Landon Flowers and Brady Puls or Easton Sharp. That’s a tough lineup. Defensively, that’s a lot of returners from the team before.”

Culwell and Condie will be the top two pitching options again, and filling in the rest of the spots should be Carson Huff, Tyson Douglas and Gaston after each has shown promise in bullpens. Huff said there are 10 pitchers on the roster, with five to six who that will probably see varsity innings.

“That’s a huge thing for me this year is not just relying on Reece and Condie,” Huff said.

Huff said Van-Far is going for another district title, but another goal would be do it as No. 1 seed instead of the third seed from a year ago. These would be accomplished before hopefully making a state playoff run. He added finishing at least in the middle of the Eastern Missouri Conference standings while flipping conference losses from last year like against Mark Twain and Bowling Green would help.

“What happened last year is in the past,” Huff said. “We’re not going to sit there and be like, ‘Oh, we won districts last year.’ We’re moving on.”