Last year, the Potosi-Cassville baseball team won the Six Rivers West Conference Championship, something that hadn’t been done by either school since 2012 when Potosi won it. Not only did they win the conference, but they also had all nine starters recognized on the All-Conference team. Six of the nine previous starters are returning this season, meaning the team should be on pace for another great season, and they are hopeful for another conference title. 

The team has very high hopes for this coming season. “I think we have a pretty solid chance of winning conference again,” said Potosi senior Preston Steiner. Coming off of a hot season last year, Steiner is hoping to keep his bat alive this year and continue to help the team not only at the plate but also on the pitcher’s mound. 

“I’m thinking that we can make a deep playoff run this year,” added senior Brayden Hutchcroft, “hopefully leading to the state tournament.” Winning a state championship is something that almost every kid dreams of, but many will never achieve. Potosi hasn’t been to the state tournament since 2013 and hasn’t won it since 1993. Many people think that this could be the year that they make a run for the state title. 

Last year, the team suffered a tough loss in the regional semi-final game to Seneca. “It left a bad taste in our mouths,” said Preston Steiner. The loss stuck with most of the team throughout the off-season, knowing they had more games left in the tank. “I think it gives us motivation,” Steiner added, “like a little chip on our shoulders that we need to prove ourselves this year.” 

A team’s success doesn’t only depend on the skill of the players; it is also very reliant on the coaches. “Our coaches are very important,” said Brayden Hutchcroft, “they get us going every day in practice, and they are in charge of putting the best nine players on the field for our team to succeed.” The coaching staff are usually the first people to get criticized when a team is not successful. They face many tough decisions such as who to put in the game and when. “I believe that they will make the right decisions, and put us in positions to win as many games as possible,” Hutchcroft added. 

Due to finishing at the top of the conference last year, many teams may have an itch to beat PC. The team’s “motto” or “theme” for this season is ‘We do the Hunting’. The team understands the meaning of this clearly. “I don’t want to feel like there is a target on our backs,” said coach Tony Leibfried. “Then we are the ones being hunted. We want to be the ones that do the hunting.” 

Every game is important, especially with a schedule as tough as this year. Potosi-Cassville will be playing three teams that were recognized in the preseason rankings for division 4, along with multiple division 2 and 3 teams. Some of their bigger games will be away games, against Barneveld on April 21st, at Cuba City on April 27th, at Pecatonica on May 5th, and finally home against Dodgeville on May 18th.