WARDSVILLE - Mike DeMilia is quite familiar with the baseball diamond. The former Lincoln head coach has been coaching baseball for the past few decades.
But when the Blair Oaks Falcons open the season today against Eugene and Camdenton, it will be DeMilia's first time coaching high school baseball in eight years.
"It actually has been different," he said. " I have to make a few adjustments with the way I do things, with the different age of kids."
In addition to the third-base coach's box, the Falcons will have a different look between the foul lines.
Blair Oaks lost nine seniors - including eight starters - from last year's team that won the Tri-County Conference championship and finished second at the Class 4 District 9 Tournament with a 19-9 record.
This year's roster will be much younger, with just three seniors.
"We're going to push these guys to do things they haven't done before, and with that, there's going to be some learning," DeMilia said.
Among the returning players are senior Colton Hoelscher and junior Parker Bax, who will be the top two pitchers in the Falcons' starting rotation. Sophomore Kamron Morriss will also be a starting pitcher.
"They're going to be guys who fill up the zone and give our defense a chance to make some plays," DeMilia said.
Blair Oaks brings back three players who started in that 5-4 loss in 16 innings to Helias in the district title game.
Junior Nolan Hair was a utility player last season, starting at second base before moving to center field. DeMilia was adamant about keeping Hair in the outfield this season.
"I want to camp him in center field the entire year," DeMilia said. "I think he's our best outfielder. I have to admit, with football and everything he throws in the fall, it would be easier on his arm to play in the outfield rather than seeing a bunch of throws in the infield."
Junior Maclaine McCarter played all 16 innings behind the plate against Helias and will return behind the plate this season.
"Maclaine will probably get most of the catching duties," DeMilia said. "Kamron Morriss will also catch, but we're also asking Kamron to pitch and play a little bit of outfield, so it would be hard for him to catch consistently."
Senior Bryce Kempker, the last of the returning starters, will remain at third base for the Falcons.
"We're asking him to make a couple of adjustments with a few things, like his swing, and he's been pretty open and receptive to it," DeMilia said.
When he's not pitching, Bax will play first base, while junior Jacob Stegemann and sophomore David Dell are battling for the starting role at shortstop. Junior Gavin Bernskoetter, who played second base at the JV level last season, is the frontrunner for that spot on varsity this year.
Junior Cameron Hardwick will play some at first base, and junior Michael Parmley and freshman Ian Nolph will back up the middle infield positions.
Joining Hair in the outfield are Hoelscher and Tyler Gish, Blair Oaks' third senior. DeMilia said juniors Seth DeWesplore and Webb Villmer will also see some time in the outfield.
In the bullpen, Gish, Nolph, Bernskoetter and freshman Cade Stockman will see time on the mound.
"If one guy doesn't have it going, we can put in a reliever that can do better," DeMilia said.
At the plate, DeMilia said Bax, Hair and Morriss have had the hot bat this preseason, adding Kempker and McCarter as a key hitters in the lineup this season.
"I think we can hit, I think we can score some runs," DeMilia said.
When DeMilia coached college baseball, as well as the Jefferson City Renegades this past summer, the designated hitter bats for the pitcher. While the DH can bat for anyone in the lineup in high school, DeMilia said he may not stray far from tradition.
"I have to admit, I love DHing for the pitcher," he said. "I think it's weird DHing for position players. I'm not sure how I'm going to do that, I've never DHed for a position player."
While the district loss is still in the minds of a few Blair Oaks players, DeMilia said he only uses that loss as motivation for his team.
"We only bring it up when we aren't doing the little things, like bunting and not backing up bases, things like that," he said. "That's the stuff that gets you beat in an extra-inning game.
"But at the end of the day, it's still going to come down to us playing baseball. We can't worry about Helias, we can't worry about districts right now. We have to take care of getting better first."
Blair Oaks plays Eugene at 10 a.m. and Camdenton at 2 p.m. today at the Falcon Athletic Complex, before hosting New Bloomfield on Monday. The Falcons play their first six games at home.