Pitching, defense and hot hitting at the right time. That's what sent the 2016 Jefferson City Jays to the baseball Final Four for the first time since 1992.
The Jays bring back pitching for 2017 with senior ace Jacob Wierich, who signed to play at Southern Mississippi in the offseason.
"He had a really good summer," coach Brian Ash said. "He put some work and time into it, but all of those kids have. A lot of it was building arm strength, making sure we're healthy. Really focused on making sure we're strong to prevent any kind of injuries. We did that all winter long. Hopefully that helps."
They also return much of their defense as more than half of the starting lineup is expected to be seniors.
"I credit a lot of our pitcher's ERA to our defense because because there's a lot of balls that some guys wouldn't get to that we did," Ash said. "I think it just gives so much confidence to our pitchers."
Another confidence builder came when the preseason rankings were released by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association. Jefferson City tops the list with Lindbergh, which finished fourth last season, at No. 2. Rockwood Summit is third and Lee's Summit West, last year's third-place team, is fourth.
"It doesn't mean much of anything," Ash said. "If we stay No. 1 the whole entire year then that means we're doing some very good things. If we're not No. 1 a month from now that doesn't mean our goals aren't still in front of us. To go undefeated is almost impossible in Class 5 baseball. It's an honor for the kids, they deserve it. They've worked hard to get to where they are."
The Jays, which have nine seniors, are pursuing to be No. 1 at the end of the season.
To do that, they'll need to keep their pitching and defense on the same track.
Weirich returns following a school record-tying nine-win season with a 1.27 ERA.
The Jays will look to replace No. 2 starter JT Bohlken, who had six wins and started the state championship game last season.
Senior Brandon Williams has the most experience among the returning pitchers.
Junior Joseph Davis didn't throw a varsity inning last season, but is expected to be in the mix as a starter this season.
"His velocity is up and he's a lot more mature and he's throwing the ball very well," Ash said.
Seniors Grand Wood and Hayden Hirschvogel, who'll both be prominent infielders, could also take the mound some.
"As far as rotation goes, we don't have really a rotation," Ash said. "We know that Jacob and Brandon, and Grant and Joseph, and Hayden Hirschvogel will probably take on a lot of the starting roles."
Kade Franks, Chad Volmert, Gunnar See, Cade Galbraith, Jack Shinkle and Blake Terry are also expected to get innings.
See, who played his freshman year, is making a return to baseball after focusing mostly on football.
At the plate, the Jays ended last season by scoring at least five runs in four of their last five games.
"Late in the year we really caught fire and something clicked," Ash said, "and we're hoping the end of the year run that we had offensively will trickle over to the first part of the year and continue to get better offensively."
Weirich was the Jays' top hitter as far as average last season, nearly reaching the .400 mark. He was in the leadoff spot for the most part, but Ash said he could hit anywhere in the top three.
Wood, who has signed to play at Murray State, is the team's returning leader in hits, RBI, home runs and runs scored.
"He can hit a lot of doubles, he's and RBI guy, he's got some pop, he can hit home runs, he can hit for a high average," Ash said. "We've got a little bit of everything. We've got a mix of speed and power. I'd say he's probably one of the more feared hitters overall in this central Missouri area if not the state."
Wood, Hirschvogel and Franks will anchor the infield with Gaven Srobel behind the plate.
See could get time at first base and Michael Skinner is an option off the bench for an infield spot.
Weirich, Tyler Bise, Brandon Williams, Peyton Bodenstab and Cole Ahrens are all options in he outfield.
"Those are kind of your core guys that right now going into the season you kind of feel comfortable with," Ash said.
Bodenstab got some varsity experience last season as a sophomore, so his playing time may jump up this season.
"He played quite a bit last year but it was kind of spot time," Ash said. "This year he's going to have a way bigger role and he's stepped up to the challenge and looks really, really good."
Travis, Mason Hansen and Reece Neighbors are available to fill spots as needed.
"We've got a good group of kids that can come in and fill roles depending on who's on the mound," Ash said.
Jefferson City begins the 2017 campaign today in Washington as the Jays take on host Borgia at 10 a.m. and Fatima at noon.
"A lot of this weekend is going to be experimentation, just plugging different guys in and see what they can do," Ash said.