After having seven seniors graduate last year, the Pioneer baseball team is looking to build off of last year’s team that ended their season 11-29 overall and 7-17 in the WIAC.

The 2013 season began with the 11th annual First Pitch Banquet, a fundraising event held Feb. 8, which included dinner and an auction where over 100 items were auctioned off.

“It was a nice social event where parents got introduced to the program,” senior infielder Tyler Jacobson said.

The team said they would eventually like to see the program build to where it was in the past by having more community and business involvement.

With key seniors Jacobson, pitcher Bill Oppriecht and catcher Topher Scheeler coming back, the team plans to add to the momentum that got them seven of their 11 wins in the final games of the 2012 season.

“We’ve been doing mid-Fall lifting in the mornings and night conditioning four days a week,” Jacobson said.

The team will feature 13 freshmen this season.  Upperclassmen have been introducing the freshmen to the college level of competition by letting them know what to expect and what is expected of them.

The Pioneers’ biggest challenge will be in April when they face last year’s WIAC champion, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (2012 record: 34-11, 21-2 WIAC), and Unviersity of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (2012 record: 27-15, 15-9 WIAC).

As much as they want to make it to the conference tournament, regionals and NCAA Division III World Series, the players understand they have to stay focused.

“Taking things one day at a time is how we are going to get better every day,” Jacobson said.

The first game is scheduled to take place Saturday in St. Louis, Mo., against Monmouth College out of Illinois.