WAUSAU – The Wausau West baseball team has already had its annual spring trip south to bond and actually get a chance to take to the field, now it’s time for business.

The Warriors reached the WIAA Division 1 state tournament last season and will have to be ready to be tested early in the always tough Wisconsin Valley Conference.

“It’s a good opportunity for the kids to grow and is great for team chemistry,” West coach Rob Wachholz said of the team’s trip to Webster University in St. Louis this season.

The Warriors usually travel to Orlando and Disney’s Wide World of Sports, but with spring break falling next week, had to adjust plans this year.

Regardless, the Warriors used the time in warmer St. Louis – let’s face it almost anything would be better than north central Wisconsin this time of year – to put in time outside instead of in a gym and the results may actually pay dividends right away.

“Our offense and defense seem to have picked up where we left off last season,” Wachholz said.

The defense especially will be solid for the Warriors, ranked No. 10 in the preseason Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association Division 1 preseason poll.

Nine seniors are on the West roster and will fill all of the infield positions and be the backbone of the team.

“This is the best defensive team I’ve had in my seven years as coach,” Wachholz said. “We’re solid across the board, but especially up the middle where we have Jason Kyle catching, Tyler Scheafer at second, Seth McMullen at short and Jacob Wittman in center, we’re solid.”

The left side of the infield is another strength with McMullen, a first-team all-conference pick, garnering interest from major colleges and third base is also solid with fellow first-team all-conference pick Mitch Howe going on to play at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

On the mound, junior right-hander Adam Kramer is back as the ace of the staff. He’ll be followed up by senior Chris Andersen, who should be strong after off-season shoulder surgery repaired an injury that was not as severe as originally thought.

With all of the seniors laced throughout the field, the offense should come along and form a formidable attack as the season progresses.

The coaches in the conference voted Stevens Point as the favorite with West right behind. The other five schools in the conference were in a battle for third, which could make for an interesting season.

“There’s not as many stud pitchers in the confence as there were last year,” Wachholz said. “There is more depth throughout. It wouldn’t surprise me if any of the other teams put it together to make a run at the conference title.”

In a conference where four losses won it for SPASH last year, that would most certainly not be surprising as the Valley continues to be one of the premiere spring conferences in the state.