ROLLA, Mo. – Last spring, Missouri S&T's baseball team captured its fourth regular season title – divisional or overall -- in the Great Lakes Valley Conference since 2011.  But with a large number of the players responsible for delivering that championship now graduated, the focus is on a younger crew of Miners to continue the program's success going forward.

The Miners are scheduled to get their 2020 schedule underway this weekend with doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday against Minot State, the first of three straight four-game series at the S&T Ballpark prior to the GLVC opener on March 7 at Rockhurst.

S&T is coming off a season in which it went 30-17 overall and 22-11 in the GLVC and while the team did suffer losses from that squad personnel-wise, there will still be some familiar faces in the 2020 lineup this spring.

The Miners return two middle infielders that were key contributors last season in second baseman Will Hayes (Terre Haute, IN/South Vigo), who batted .284 while hitting mainly out of the leadoff spot and tied for the team lead with 19 stolen bases and shortstop Doug Wood (Liberty, MO/Liberty North), a part-time starter who hit .281 and did not commit an error last season in 56 chances in the field while playing at various infield positions.

S&T will have new corner infielders this spring with competition for the starting roles expected at both spots.  Redshirt freshman Cole Hampton (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) and incoming freshman Aaron Berkhoff (Colorado Springs, CO/Cheyenne Mountain) will contend for the third base role, while returners Michael Ward (Hazelwood, MO/Hazelwood West) and Landon Bell (Seymour, MO/Seymour) are competing for the starting spot across the diamond at first.

The outfield will have one returner with significant playing time in Keegan Baxmeyer (Waterloo, IL/Freeburg), who batted .257 and belted three home runs last season in 32 games, while returners Matt Miller (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) and AJ Marsh (High Ridge, MO/Seckman) will compete for one of the other outfield spots along with newcomers Brady Voss (Lake St. Louis, MO/Liberty) and Tate Morrell (Lloydminster, AB).

Missouri S&T does return two catchers with experience in Brady Wildschuetz (Foristell, MO/Francis Howell), who made 13 starts behind the plate last season and hit .256 with 12 runs batted in and Braden Mahurin (Dixon, MO/Dixon), who started eight times a year ago.  They will handle a pitching staff that returns just one of its three weekend starters from last year – lefthander Brenden Garza (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt South) – but does have some veteran arms in the bullpen.

Garza went 4-0 with a 3.70 earned run average in 11 appearances last season, where he threw 48 2/3 innings and struck out 27.  He is expected to be joined in the starting rotation at the start of the season by Bryce Charipar (Cedar Rapids, IA/Xavier), who missed nearly the entire 2019 campaign due to an injury and Cade Meier (Dakota, IL/Dakota), a transfer to the S&T program from Rock Valley College who struck out nearly a batter per inning at the junior college level last spring.

The Miners also bring back several relievers that were effective for them a year ago, led by Joe Wolf (Freeburg, IL/Freeburg) who had a 1.56 earned run average in 16 games and held opposing hitters to a .158 average.  Dylan Dunbar (West Plains, MO/West Plains) posted a 3.31 ERA last season and his brother, Blaine Dunbar (West Plains, MO/West Plains), made 17 appearances and struck out 22 in 22 innings.  Will Boettcher (Metamora, IL/Metamora) is also back this season after making a team-high 20 appearances a year ago, as is Chasen Anderson (Moscow Mills, MO/Troy Buchanan), who saw time in 10 games as both a starter and reliever.

S&T is also expecting bullpen contributions from Jack DeGarmo (Liberty, MO/Liberty North), who has spent the last three seasons as an infielder and newcomer David Kephart (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley Northwest), a freshman who was an all-state performer in Kansas as a high school senior.

The Miners' opponent this weekend, Minot State, finished 36-18 last season and went 24-10 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.  The Beavers, who placed fourth in the NSIC in 2019, will be opening its season this weekend along with S&T.