EVANSVILLE—The final season of baseball in the Rock Valley Conference being a single conference saw Evansville end the dominance of Beloit Turner and earn its first conference title since 1991.

A year later the core of that Blue Devils squad is back – five that earned first-team all-conference honors to be exact – with the potential to win the first Rock Valley-North Conference crown.

“The kids don’t focus on outcomes per say,” Evansville coach Brian Cashore said. “We just focus on getting better every day and go out there and be competitive. If we do that, things will come together and we’ll win games.”

The Blue Devils have gotten off to a great 7-0 Rock Valley North start and 9-0 overall start to earn the No. 2 ranking in the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association Division 2 poll.

Cashore, while no doubt happy with the start still sees some room for improvement throughout the season.

“We’ve yet to play our best complete baseball,” Cashore said. “We’ve had two of the three phases shine at a time, but not all three yet. We’ve demonstrated we can play solid defense, pitch and hit the ball. We are trying to become consistent in all three phases.”

The five all-conference players are led by ace pitcher Taylor Koch who is coming off a season where he went 9-1 with a 1.04 ERA.

“He’s the type of pitcher is going to pound the zone and make kids put the ball in play,” said Cashore of Koch, who struck out 50 batters in 53 innings last season while walking just 21. “He’s going to keep us in games and not give up free passes to batters.”

Catcher Derek Cashore, coach Cashore’s son, is a solid battery mate and can also get it done at the plate. As one of four lefties in the Evansville lineup, the senior hit .510 a year ago and will hit in the No. 3 spot this season.

“He takes the pressure off the pitcher when it comes to throwing that curveball with a runner on third base,” coach Cashore said of his son’s ability to keep the ball in front of him, having allowed just one passed ball in 2008. “He stifles opponents in the running game, too.”

With Tyler Johnson at first base, Jesse Deininger at second and Jeremy Weaver at third, the infield is solid around the horn.

It’s just latest sign Cashore, entering his fifth season as coach of the team is making progress with the program.

“We’ve seen progress through the course of our program even before last season,” Cashore said. “The guys play the game and are committed to it. They play American Legion ball in the summer time and come in for open gyms to hit on their own. They’ve bought in and have seen results.”