Experience will be everything for Dixon this spring, and the Dukes have it in spades.

After losing just one senior off last year’s Class 3A regional title team, Dixon now looks to pick up where it left off.

“It’s nice to have that experience,” senior Brady Lawrence said. “We have the whole team back, the majority of the starters. We’re feeling good, the team chemistry is there, it’s more bonded, and I feel we’re going to win some ballgames.

“I believe we’re starting off in a strong spot. I think people expect us to be greater than we were – and last year, we did come out with a regional championship, we showed out at the end of the year. I think expectations are high … and I think we’ll exceed them. I know we can do good things.”

Lawrence is a key addition at the plate and on the mound, after he missed all but the last week of last season while recovering from an ACL injury – “That’s a good offensive player and honestly changes a team. And him coming to the mound this year, it’s going to be a definite benefit,” coach Jason Burgess said – and the Dukes have also brought up sophomore Nolan Valk to help out in the middle infield and on the mound.

Other than that, there are a lot of familiar faces on the roster. Seniors Daniel Fordham, Chase Simpson, Eli Kirchhoff, Exzadrian Diaz, Gage Helfrich, Jack Redell, Jake Whelan and Kellen Haenitsch join classmate Lawrence, and juniors Braxton Bruce, Jagger Kemp and Jake Zepezauer also return to the varsity level. Juniors Layne Vannoy, Connor Wolfe and Ethan Bond round out the roster.

“You can kind of see that comfortability with them. They’re working hard, they’re pushing each other to do better,” Burgess said. “I really think that year of experience with the kids who are now coming back as seniors and that group of sophomores I had up last year – which played really well for us – I think those dividends will pay off for us.”

Having so many players with previous experience – and playing together for an entire season already – means there is more confidence and cohesiveness. That strong bond makes it easier for the players to hold each other accountable.

“I think this year will be different because we’re all second-year varsity players,” Fordham said. “We’ve got a lot of seniors and juniors with experience, and we’ve been getting on each other when we have to and being good about that. We’ve also been saying good things to each other, having a good feeling and complimenting everybody. It’s been good.”

Fordham and Kirchhoff return on the mound after stellar starts in Dixon’s two regional wins, and will be joined by Lawrence to anchor a deeper pitching staff. Several other players will get significant innings this season, and there’s also plenty of versatility on defense.

Toss in two returning catchers in Chase Simpson and Braxton Bruce, and Burgess likes the pieces he has to work with.

“We’re going to have a lot of guys moving all over, and we’re trying to find out now who can do this, who can do that. A lot of these guys can transplant here and there, so it’s going to be a lot of puzzle pieces,” Burgess said. “I will say, one of our strengths is going to be pitching. They’ve really worked hard in the offseason to get ready, so their arms are going to be seasoned and it gives us some depth.

“And I’m looking forward to being able to plug and play and see who wants to take a spot; the competition’s happening. And really, the cohesion. Once we get these guys to believe in each other and accept each others’ strengths and weaknesses and pick each other up, we’ll be in good shape.”

The focus as the season starts will be honing the defensive skills and cleaning up the offensive approach. If the Dukes can cut down on errors in the field and strikeouts at the plate, Burgess believes this team can have a strong season.

“We’ve got to put the ball in play; last year, we struck out 35% of the time, and I harp on it all the time and they keep saying, ‘Coach, it’s a new year!’, and I say, ‘You’re right, prove it to me,’” Burgess said. “We’ve got to hit the ball and put up runs. If we can put up runs this year and save our arms a little bit, keep our pitchers out of so many pressure situations, that would be great. We really put ourselves behind a lot with that [last year].

“We’ve got a good crew, and it’s just about playing good baseball: lessen the strikeouts at the plate, field the ball, and don’t let yourself get in the way of your own success.”