APPLETON – Fox Valley Lutheran baseball coach David Kolander can’t help but sound excited when talking about his team and what could lie ahead for them this season.

The Foxes are off to a 3-1 start and have outscored opponents in the three wins by a combined 37-0.

The lone defeat came to Eastern Valley Conference rival Waupaca, 6-5, last week.

Despite the loss, FVL has high aspirations for what the season holds and its chances at a deep postseason run and with the talent Kolander sends onto the field and what he has coming off the bench, things are certainly lining up.

“We are working at getting all of the guys a couple of at-bats when we can,” said Kolander who has 17 players that could all likely start on other teams. “The challenge is keeping them all happy with playing time.

“We do have lofty goals for the season that include winning conference, regionals and sectionals and going from there.”

The 17-player roster consists of eight seniors and nine juniors, seven of which return from last season’s team that finished tied for second place in the Eastern Valley and one game behind Waupaca, the lone Division 1 school in the conference.

A 15-0 win over Omro, 13-0 over Berlin and 10-0 over Appleton Xavier have shown the offense has been alive in the early part of the season for the Foxes, but still has Kolander seeing more hits coming.

“Everyone has been hitting and it’s been 40 degrees with the wind blowing in,” Kolander said. “We’re putting up solid numbers and once the weather warms up and we get some wind blowing out, we’ll be only better.”

The surprising thing thus far has been the surge of the juniors that have stepped up in their first year on the varsity level, led by junior designated hitter Sam Kossow who is 5 for 7 so far this season with eight RBI in four games.

“Our leading three hitters by average are all juniors,” Kolander said.

Kolander said the Foxes order has eight guys that can hit home runs when that weather does start to come around led by senior center fielder Dan Gulbranson, who will attend the University of Jacksonville next year.

“Dan is the full package,” said Kolander of Gulbranson who also has a 3.95 GPA and scored a 31 on his ACT. “He’s a great character kid and he’s the hardest worker I’ve ever coached.”

He’ll get a chance to pitch against his brother, Jon, who pitches at Valparaiso University in Indiana and could get a chance to square off against him in 2010 when the schedules bring the two teams together.

Back with the Foxes, the pitching staff is also solid as Kolander feels he has four solid starting pitchers, one of which, Brandon Hitter, came just one out away from recording a five-inning no-hitter last week.

It all seems to be coming together for FVL to make another run at the state tournament for the first time in two years.

“That year it was almost all because of our pitching,” Kolander said. “This year we not only have good pitching but hitting, as well. We have so much depth. We’re beyond nine deep, we’re 17 players deep.”