Formerly called Rapid City West, newly-renamed Rapid City Stevens hopes to continue to raise the bar higher in their third year of play in the South Dakota High School Baseball Association.

Head coach Joe Burmeister's squad went 12-4 in 2008, earning its first-ever win over cross-town rival Rapid City Central and coming within an inning of qualifying for the state tournament as a wild-card entry.

"We took a big step forward last year," Burmeister said.

Burmeister's varsity roster includes seven seniors and a bevy of juniors and sophomores, but no returning letterwinners.

"We are very youthful, but that doesn't mean we're not talented," said Burmeister.

Juniors Chris Maks and Daniel Thyren are the only varsity returnees that saw any amount of field time.

Seniors Tommy Barbour, Mason Landon, Andrew Telkamp and juniors Kevin Ficken and Matt Lewis are expected to see a lot of playing time, Burmeister said.

The wintry weather plaguing the region in March and early April has limited field practice and caused postponement or cancellation of early season games.

Burmeister isn't sure how his pool of talented players will figure into a lineup.

"It's like a Christmas present. It's going to be fun to unwrap, but I haven't figured out how to use it yet," he said.

And while the near future is a question mark, the Raiders' long-term outlook is rosy.

"I'm overwhelmed with junior talent. We should be terrific next year, but that doesn't mean we don't have high expectations about what we can accomplish this year," he said. "Our future is extremely bright."

Burmeister expects both regional and statewide competition to be tight.

"I would be surprised if the toughest region in the state isn't the one we're playing in," he said. "Rapid City Central can trot out three pitchers that are as good as anybody. I don't want to overlook Sturgis, but I don't know what they've got."

Rapid City Central

Malloy Dial takes over the reins at Rapid City Central as the Cobblers look to make a return trip to the Class A state tournament where they finished as the runner-up last season.

Central lost 10 players off of last year's squad, but still brings back several players that saw action as sophomores and juniors a season ago.

Dial said he expects this team to make its mark on defense.

"Defense is my biggest concern and that is what my baseball philosophy is centered around," he said. "We expect to have strong pitching and the bats will take care of themselves."

Dial said any one of his players could pitch at some point during this season with the addition of a pitch count added to the rules by the state this season. However, he looks for Brad Winkelman and Adam Carroll to be the workhorses of the rotation.

On defense, the Cobblers figure to be solid up the middle with catchers Tyler Jones and Jake Fredericksen, Carroll will be at second when he isn't pitching, Marcus Kiewel is at short and Jace Holzer will man center field.

While the Cobblers have not been able to get outside to practice much, Dial thinks he will have a solid offensive team.

"I have a lot of kids that can hit it over the fence, but I like the small ball approach," he said. "I like to be aggressive, take the extra base and steal whenever possible."

Sturgis

Jason Herz is excited about the possibilities with his Sturgis team even if there is not a senior to be found on the roster. The first-year coach believes his young team has a chance to be very good this year.

"We are going to be real young and a lot of people might look at that as a bad thing. But I really like it," Herz said. "I get a chance to evaluate with an open mind and we will all be going through the same things. We have about 20 kids out right now and I am pleased with that number considering we don't have any seniors."

Despite the youth, Herz has three pitchers that return with significant experience. Lefthanders Alan MacMillan and Seth Lange as well as righty Brandon Huffman give Sturgis a solid front end of the rotation.

"I am excited to see the pitching develop, and we have a unique problem because other than Brandon all of our pitching is left-handed," Herz said.

Michael Baldwin and Chris Vinson are two other lefties that Herz expects to have an impact from the mound for the team this season.

Offensively, Herz plans to play a very aggressive style of baseball putting the pressure on the other team.

"It is a style I adapted to in college and really enjoyed," he said. "We want to get the runners moving and play with an offensive mindset."

The biggest concern for Herz is how his team will adjust to the level of play once it is finally able to get out on the field.

Hot Springs

The Hot Springs high school baseball team should be tough, said head coach Bud Jenniges.

That is, if the season can get started.

"We are four games behind now," Jenniges said about what should be a 17-game season.

The team will benefit from the addition of Matt Harkless at shortstop, Jenniges said. And the team has some quality returning lettermen in third baseman Andrew Tarrell, second baseman David Housley, first baseman Chris Housley, centerfielder Jake Derr and right fielder Ty Gambill.

Hot Springs has three returning pitchers at the varsity level: Jaron Smith, Chris Housley and Jake Derr. David Housley will also have some pitching duties.

"We have some sophomore pitchers that can develop into pitchers too," Jenniges said.

Hot Springs plays in the B-4 West division, which also includes Lead-Deadwood, Bennett County, Rapid City South and Pine Ridge. The team is scheduled to play each of the division's teams at least twice, and will play the B-4 division teams once each. Those teams are Chamberlain-Kimball, Platte-Geddes/Dakota Christian, South Central - which includes Burke, Gregory and Bonesteel - and Winner-Colome.

"You've got to anticipate Pine Ridge being tough," Jenniges said. "Bennett County and Rapid City South will be tough. But this division here is pretty wide open. I think you are going to see some good teams come out of here.

Rapid City South

Rapid City South, a team made up of players from St. Thomas More, enters its second season of play looking to make some improvements.

"Our expectations are a little higher than they were last year," South coach Jeff Pekny said. "Last year, we didn't really have a home field so we played a lot of games on the road, but this year we will play at Pete Lien Field."

Pekny expects pitching and defense to be the strengths of the team. Spencer Braun and Jeremy Kudrna will lead the pitching staff, while Nick Fees, James Grimsrud and Nolan Johnson will be key players on defense.

"We will have four or five starting pitchers and four in the bullpen," Pekny said.

Offensively, Pekny expects his team to be fairly balanced with some speed at the top of the lineup and some power in the middle.

Pekny said that he had a few players begin practicing in early January which he believes will help his team enjoy more success in its second season.

Bennett County

Bennett County looks to build on last season with some pitching depth and a few standout hitters.

"We're hoping to improve on our season from last year, which was below .500," said Bennett County coach Burt Ready. "We have two seniors only, but our younger kids have been playing for a couple of years now. And we're hoping they can step into some significant roles."

The team has several pitchers, which could help because of the bad weather early this season.

"Once we start, its going to be a lot of games together," Ready said. "A team with a number of pitchers is going to be favored a bit."

The pitching staff for Bennett County consists of senior Tucker Risse, sophomore Ryan Risse, junior Logan Risse, junior Alex Bakley and sophomore Grant Strain. Tucker Risse and Ryan Risse are brothers, and Logan Risse is their cousin.

Another top starter for the team is junior Austin Haynes, who has been the starting catcher for three years. Logan Risse - a returning all-stater - Haynes and Ryan Risse were top hitters from last year.

"I think we've got a good nucleus, " Ready said.

As far as the rest of the division, Ready believes Hot Springs and Rapid City South will be tough.

"Hot Springs has had a good program since the start of club baseball," Ready said. "They've challenged every year either in the district finals or advanced on to the next level. Rapid City South, it all depends on who comes out for them."

Pine Ridge

Pine Ridge head coach Darrin Merrival does not know what kind of team he will have until they get a chance to get on the field.

That is because the team has some new, younger players to incorporate into the lineup.

"It's hard to tell, we have a mixture of younger players and a good core of seniors," Merrival said. "We probably won't find out until we play a game. But I am really excited about our younger players."

The younger players include Joseph Merrival, D.J. Cortier and John Pond. Before they joined, Merrival was a little worried,

"I was really concerned about the future of the team," he said. "But as we picked up a lot of younger players, I am really excited."

As far as the present, there is a stronger nucleus from last season, which includes senior Harley Cortier and junior Rico Ramos.

"Those are two of my better players," Merrival said.

Harley Cortier and Juan Ramos have batted better than .400 for the past two years, Merrival said. Other standouts include Brandon Two Bulls, whom Merrival credits as an outstanding fielder, and Sky Young.

"I'm pretty sure he led the state in stolen bases (with 18)," Merrival said about Young.

Pine Ridge won its division two years ago, but finished third last season. Hot Springs finished first, with Bennett County placing second. Both division competitors look to be strong this year, Merrival said

"Bennett County is going to be tough," Merrival said. "They were young last year and they beat Hot Springs in the playoffs and lost to Winner to go to state."

Lead-Deadwood

Lead-Deadwood returns one senior and two starting juniors from a 1-15 campaign last year. But with a strong sophomore class coming up, the future is bright for Lead-Deadwood.

"We're very excited about the upcoming season," said Lead-Deadwood coach Jim Startz. "We definitely did not have a good high school season last year. But we're looking to win our region this year. We have a real young team and we only have one senior and two juniors that have seen some time."

The one senior is a good one.

Pitcher and first baseman Jake Startz is a returning second-team all-state selection.

"He plays everywhere like a lot of our guys, depending on who's pitching," Jim Startz said. "We look to him for some leadership and good pitching."

Catcher Jake Zoodsma and outfielder Garret Kohler are the two juniors that saw some time last year.

The top sophomore is pitcher and shortstop Danny Johnson, whom Jim Startz believes will be an all-state selection along with Jake Startz at the end of this season. Johnson was a No. 2 pitcher for the high school and American Legion teams in Lead-Deadwood last baseball season.

"He leads a class of sophomores that is going to be a force to reckon with in the coming years," Jim Startz said.

Also in the sophomore class are second baseman Jake O'Grady, No. 3 pitcher Tony Anderson and outfielder Tyler Cate.

The team has worked diligently at an inside practice facility because of the weather. The squad has only been on the diamond for two days this spring.

"We should be ready for opening day, whenever that is," Jim Startz said.

As far as the district, Startz believes it will be competitive. He said that Hot Springs almost always has a good team under Bud Jenniges, and Rapid City South should be good as well.

"St. Thomas More guys are always good at whatever sport they set their minds to," Jim Startz said.