“The new conference is going to be great for all teams involved,” Hraby said. “It’s fairly even with three Division 1 teams and four Division 2 schools. The baseball is going to be very good across the conference.”

The new conference welcomes two schools from the Wisconsin Valley Conference, four from the Lumberjack Conference and a lone addition from the Cloverbelt Conference.

Hraby doesn’t see much of a drop off for the Raiders who won the Lumberjack with an 8-2 record a year ago, but could experience some growing pains behind some unproven talent stepping to the forefront.

Leading the new look for Medford is new ace in senior right-hander Bryan Helberg who moves up from his spot as the team’s No. 3 and junior Nick Meyer joins the staff after breaking his wrist in a Phy Ed accident last year.

“If those two guys pitch like they are capable of, they will provide a nice 1-2 punch for us and could take us a long ways,” Hraby said.

On a team that returns 10 seniors – eight of which contributed last year – the Raiders reap the most benefits of that on offense where they are littered up and down the lineup.

The lightning rods at the plate will be senior shortstop Trevor Laher and center fielder Jimmy Rindt who were both first-team all-conference picks last season.

“When those guys get on it’s going to determine how many runs we score,” Hraby said. “If they can get on they can be the straw that stirs the drink for us. We need to score runs almost every time those guys are up.

“Both guys have speed, steal bases and drive balls to the gaps.”

Up and down the lineup Hraby is confident the bats will come alive and could have a hand in figuring out a defense that is a bit crowded.

“In most of the infield spots, there are two guys for every position,” Hraby said. “In order to keep a guy’s bat in the lineup, we may use one guy as a designated hitter to be sure to get the best bats in the lineup.”

If everything continues to come together for the Raiders, who play at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis against Hurley April 10, the Raider should be able to contend with Merrill and Antigo, which moved over from the ever-tough Wisconsin Valley and are predicted by the Baseball Wisconsin Yearbook to finish 1-2 in the standings.