The St. Bede baseball team graduated only two seniors from last year’s team that went 27-5 overall and 13-3 in the Tri-County Conference.

One of those seniors was 2025 NewsTribune and BCR Baseball Player of the Year Alan Spencer, but St. Bede still returns plenty of talent, led by NewsTribune and BCR All-Area players Gus Burr, Geno Dinges, Carson Riva and Ranbir Saini.

“We are an experienced team that will be tested day in and day out,” coach Bill Booker said. “We look to be competitive in all phases of the game.”

Burr, Dinges, Riva and Saini were all key contributors on offense last season. Burr hit .412, hit three home runs and nine doubles, drove in an area-best 45 runs and scored 36 runs. Dinges hit .379, scored 36 runs and had 13 RBIs, Riva hit .395 with 29 RBIs, and Saini hit .403 with 15 RBIs.

Seniors AJ Hermes (21 RBIs) and Gino Ferrari (14 RBIs) also played important roles last year. Junior Stuart McGunnigal, who hit .300 with 16 RBIs, suffered an injury during football, and his status for the season is unknown.

Brennen Hirst, Drew Carboni, Alex Tomsha, Chase Riva, Maks Baker and Kian Zeller also return, and Booker said they have “a chance to make a bigger impact this season.

“We want to be a multifaceted offense that can put pressure on opponents throughout our lineup.”

While the loss of Spencer will have a big impact on the pitching staff after he went 9-0 with a 0.86 ERA and 105 strikeouts, the Bruins still have quite a bit of experience and talent on the mound.

“We have 18 pitching wins and over 130 innings pitched returning in ’26,” Booker said.

Last spring, Saini recorded seven wins with a 0.91 ERA; Ferrari had four wins, a save and a 3.79 ERA; Dinges had three wins, two saves and a 3.71 ERA; Tomsha had three wins and a 4.29 ERA; Hermes had a win and three saves; and Burr recorded two saves.

Chase Riva, Carson Riva and Baker may log innings on the mound this season, as well.

Defensively, Carson Riva and Hirst will see time behind the plate, Carboni, Baker and Zeller are vying for time at first base and designated hitter, McGunnigal and Tomsha can play second base, Burr returns at shortstop, and Carson Riva, Hirst and Hermes could see time at third base.

Booker said Carson Riva can play all the infield positions and is the Bruins’ Ben Zobrist, a reference to the Cubs’ 2016 World Series MVP.

In the outfield, Hermes, Dinges, Ferrari, Saini and Chase Riva may see time.

After losing in a Class 1A regional final last season, the Bruins will compete in Class 2A this spring. Booker said St. Bede has a tough schedule to prepare the Bruins to peak at the end of the season.

“We look forward to another challenging season,” Booker said. “Our game will improve with time and more reps. As always, we look to be playing our best baseball in June. The Tri-County is a great baseball conference, and our nonconference schedule is strong once again. We will be taking a trip to USA Stadium in Tennessee over spring break and playing at the Clinton LumberKings Stadium, as well. We look forward to the 2026 season.”