ELROY – Royall baseball coach Joe Vitcenda was part of the inaugural Royall High School Athletic Hall of Fame at a ceremony last week.

Going on his 41st season of the 50 the school has been in existence, the 66-year-old coach has seen just about everything.

With the pieces coming back from last year’s 10-12 squad, the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer feels his Panthers can still go in hunt of his 16th conference title.

“We have a good core of kids coming back with eight starters from last year’s team,” Vitcenda said. “We’re as solid as anyone can be for a Division 4 school.”

The way the regular season ended for the Panthers left a sour taste in the Panthers as they dropped three games in two days, sending them stumbling into the WIAA Division 4 playoffs.

“The kids felt a terrible let down from being swept by Cashton (which had just three previous conference wins all season),” Vitcenda said. “That was tough. Instead of coming out with a 10-4 record, we ended 7-7. We’ve talked about it a bit with this team. I hope that pushes this group.”

Tom Vieth leads the crop of eight returning starters as the team’s only all-conference pick a year ago. The right-handed thrower and hitter is the team’s No. 1 pitcher and center fielder.

Allen Roscovius fills in as the team’s No. 2 hurler and shortstop when he’s not on the mound.

“Both have good control,” Vitcenda said. “They both have their own wrinkles they bring to the game.”

The offense as a whole should be solid for Royall as a carryover from last year’s team. Which is also led by Vieth.

“He’s just a solid centerfielder,” Vitenda said. “He’s got above average speed, good hands and he hustles. He hit .405 last year which is respectable for at the high school level.”

The conference has belonged to Bangor the last four years after it had been dominated by Royall up until 2004.

The Panthers were picked to win the conference by the coaches around the league, but know it’s not going to come easily.

“The conference is balanced from top to bottom,” Vitcenda said. “Hillsboro, New Lisbon and of course Bangor are all right there. There’s balance all the time in the Scenic Bluffs. It’s a matter of if there will be a dominant pitcher who will take over on a nightly basis.”