LAKEVILLE, IN. - As opening day approaches, the LaVille baseball team is ready to hit the diamond and work to improve on a 12-12 mark a year ago. Head baseball coach Brian Lawler returns for his ninth season in the Lancer dugout. He will be assisted by Scott Wieczorek, Brandon Brown and Bob Harvey. The Lancers return seven letterwinners to help build the 2023 unit. Leading the LaVille offense will be the trio of sophomore Karson Quinn, classmate Collin Czarnecki and junior Lucas Plummer. Quinn hit for .378, was a co-leader in hits LHS with 27 runs batted in. Czarnecki finished witha .359 average and was second on the team in RBI, on-base percentage and walks. Plummer, meanwhile, added a .346 average and was also a co-leader in hits last season. Others back include senior Ross Wagoner (.279 batting average), sophomore Sean Kubsch (.214 BA), sophomore Andrew Wolford and senior Alex Summers. "So far practices have been going about as well as they can inside," Lawler said when asked about how practices have been to start the season. "The team is ready to start getting outside and get on the field." There have been limited opportunities to be on the baseball field, so coach Lawler and his team played catch and did some drills in the parking lot. LaVille is also just coming off spring break. On the plus side of the season outlook is the return of several key positions, starting with the pitching staff. Plummer and Czarnecki are the top two pitching prospects entering the 2023 season. Plummer finished with a 2.44 earned run average and 67 strikeouts in 43 innings of work. Czarnecki, meanwhile, had a 2.86 ERA with 22 Ks in 29-and-a-third IP. Wolford and senior Konner Quinn, along with a couple of freshmen look to make an impact on the bump. "The pitching staff will be led by Konner Quinn, Lucas Plummer, Collin Czarnecki, and Andrew Wolford," said Lawler. "With freshmen Andre Gonzales and Brayden Schwitz looking to contribute." Game day infield positions will change based on who is pitching. Additionally, there is still competition going on to earn the nod at first base. "The infield depending on who is pitching will be between Plummer, Czarnecki, Konner Quinn, and Schwitz," noted Lawler. "While first base competition is between Summers and Sean Kubsch." Starting outfielders are also subject to change, based on pitching. According to Lawler, the ourfield will be between Wagoner, Rush, Wolford and Gonzales. Karson Quinn returns for his second season behind the dish. The sophomore made just three errors in 97 attempts last season. As the Lancers prepare for the coming season, there are a couple of additions to the schedule. LaVille will play at the Howard County Invitational on April 7 and 8. The field of teams includes Bluffton, Eastern (Greentown), LaVille, Northwestern, Peru, Rochester, Rossville and Taylor. Other new additions to the 2023 schedule include Culver Academy (May 10) and Elkhart Christian Academy (May 13). LaVille will be competing in the Hoosier North Athletic Conference again in 2023. "Playing teams in a back-to-back format is always tough," Lawler said referring to playing each conference opponent twice."Look for Caston and North Judson to be the early favorites." Winamac finished 13-1 in HNAC play a year ago, while the Lancers closed at 7-7 in loop play. Caston will be the conference opener for LV. The two teams will clash at Caston on April 17 before returning to Lakeville on April 18 in the home-and-home series. The first pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Also, with the updated classification by the Indiana High School Athletic Association, LaVille will now participate in a newly aligned sectional. Joining the Lancers will be Bremen, Pioneer, Rochester, Manchester and Wabash as part of Class 2A Sectional 36. Wabash will be the host school. Opening day will be Thursday, March 30 at Oregon-Davis. The first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. The first home game is set for April 4 at 6p.m. against LaPorte La Lumiere at LaVille High School. LAVILLE BASEBALL 2022 Record:12-12 overall (7-7 HNAC) Head Coach: Brian Lawler (106-73 in ninth year At LaVille) Assistant Coaches: Scott Wieczorek, Brandon Brown, Bob Harvey Letterwinners Lost: 5 - Brady Anderson, Austin Belknap, Jayden Laurence, Jonathan Neese, Housten Williams Returning Letterwinners: 7 - Seniors - Konner Quinn (3B/P), Alex Summers (1B), Ross Wagoner (OF). Juniors - Lucas Plummer (INF/P). Sophomores - Collin Czarnecki (INF/P), Karson Quinn (C), Andrew Wolford (P/INF) Newcomers: 2. Freshmen - Andre Gonzalez (P/INF), Brayden Schwitz (P/INF) Opener: At Oregon-Davis March 30, 5 p.m.