Wright State head baseball coach Jeff Mercer won't need to spend nearly as much time this spring introducing himself to his players—or his players to each other.
 
Seven of the eight starting position players and three of the top four starting pitchers return for 2018 from last year's team, which finished 38-21 in Mercer's first season as head coach.
 
"We had so many new guys who hadn't played at all," Mercer said. "That was a lot, to ask those guys to really jump in and swim. They got a lot of at-bats, a lot of time, a lot of experience, and experience is the best teacher."
 
Last year's youngsters are this year's seasoned veterans, giving Wright State a clear vision of returning to its accustomed spot atop the Horizon League and in the NCAA tournament. The Raiders won the league and played their way into the NCAA tournament regional finals in both 2015 and 2016.
 
The Raiders came into 2017 with a new head coach and without five players who had been taken in Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft and two others who sustained season-ending injuries before the first game. Wright State was 21-9 in the Horizon League, but finished second in both the regular season standings and league tournament.
 
"You have to be realistic and say we did a really good job," Mercer said. "We grew. We got better. But every year the expectation is to win a championship. I certainly don't shy away from that."
 
Championship teams are built around solid pitching, and there is no shortage of that in 2018.
 
Right-hander Ryan Weiss (8-1, 2.13 in 15 appearances) was a first-team all-league selection as a freshman. The 2017 Horizon League Freshman of the Year will likely be joined at the top of the rotation by the 2016 Freshman of the Year, Caleb Sampen, who missed 2017 following elbow surgery. Mercer said Sampen's fastball has returned to 90–94 mph.
 
Left-hander Zane Collins (7-5, 2.83) ranked No. 4 in the league in ERA and worked 92-plus innings. Right-handers Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy Randolph made a combined nine starts in 2017, but sophomores Daniel Kreuzer and Mitch Gremling will also contend for that swing role.
 
Senior right-hander Derek Hendrixson will anchor the bullpen. He was 3-1, 1.77 with nine saves last spring, striking out 39 in 35.2 innings and earning second-team all-league honors. Closer-in-waiting Jake Schrand, a freshman whose fastball can reach 94 mph, should play a key relief role as the season progresses. Mercer is also expecting big things from junior Bear Bellomy.
 
All-league second baseman Matt Morrow is among the seven returning position player starters. Morrow led the team in hitting (.333/.427/.487) drove in 38 runs, and was one of six players to reach double figures in stolen bases. Morrow may occasionally play some shortstop, the only spot without a returning starter. The contenders include Chase Slone, who spent his first two seasons at Southern Illinois and junior college powerhouse Dyersville State (Tenn.), and high school all-state shortstops Damon Dues and Justin McConnell.
 
Third baseman Seth Gray made a big impact as a freshman, earning second-team all-league honors while batting .300 and stealing 19 bases. First baseman Gabe Snyder (.289/.379/.570) led the team with 13 home runs and was second in the league with 49 RBIs, but will need to battle for his everyday job with West Virginia transfer Kyle Casserly and 6-foot-5, 255-pound redshirt freshman Zane Harris.
 
Brandon Giltrow started 51 games at catcher in 2017, but will also battle for playing time this spring. His competition includes transfer Bentley Jones, Slone's juco battery mate, and redshirt sophomore Connor Regan.
 
The 2017 outfield of J.D. Orr (33 RBIs, 17 SB), Zach Weatherford and Adrian Marquez (6 HR/43 RBIs) returns intact. Weatherford set a school record by stealing 36 bases, which ranked third nationally. One of the returnees might be displaced, however, by Peyton Burdick, second-team all-Horizon League in 2016 before missing last season due to elbow surgery.
 
"Peyton is one of the better players in the Midwest, a special talent," Mercer said.
 
Redshirt freshman Quincy Hamilton is likely to see plenty of time in the outfield/DH role.
 
"The starting lineup will seldom be the lineup that finishes the game this year," Mercer said. "We are going to have the ability to match up and put guys in position to be successful. Last year, we just didn't have the depth to be able to get a guy out of there when he needed a break or when it was a bad matchup. This year, we do."
 
Illinois-Chicago finds itself in a similar situation to last year's Wright State team, as six UIC players were taken in the draft two others signed free agent pro contracts. Wright State, UIC, Milwaukee and Northern Kentucky are likely to constitute the top contenders in the six-team Horizon League.
 
"Our biggest challenge will be to stay true to the competitive nature that's always kind of defined this program," Mercer said.