BONDUEL – For the last three years, to say the Stevens Point Pacelli baseball team owned the competition in the Central Wisconsin Eight Conference, probably didn’t tell the whole story.

The Cardinals had not lost a game within the conference during that time and won three straight conference titles.

This year’s Bonduel squad was not about to let that creep into their mind April 16 when the Bears knocked off the Cardinals, 13-8, to hand Pacelli its first conference loss in over three years.

The loss has catapulted Bonduel into the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association Division 3 poll’s No. 4 spot and given the team confidence it has used in the two weeks since.

“It’s been a fun rivalry for both of us the last two years and it was a great chance for us to finally turn the tables on them,” Bonduel coach Mark Margelofsky said. “At the beginning of the season, a lot of the coaches thought this should be our year, at least on paper. It’s good to see that come through so far.”

Having finished second to Pacelli the last couple of years and falling just short in sectionals from making the trip to Grand Chute for the state tournament is also something pushing the Bears.

“It’s a challenge for me as a coach on a daily basis to push the guys to get better each day and remind them what they’ve gone through in the past finishing one or two games short of a conference title and state,” Margelofsky said.

With a team that includes five seniors that have all seen significant time since their sophomore seasons, the motivation is certainly there.

Leading the way from the senior class is Tyler Rosin, Derek Wegner and Patrick Wudtke.

All three were second-team all-conference picks last season and are back powering the offense so far in 2009. Wudtke leads the offensive barrage with team highs of 12 RBI and 3 HR.

It’s been a pair of underclassmen that are adding a bit of a spark, too. Junior Ryan Boettcher is hitting .444 with five extra-base hits (of his 12) and 10 RBI and sophomore Zach Wallace who is hitting .571 (12 for 21).

“We had some great athletes that weren’t out for winter sports, so right after Christmas, it seemed like they were in the batting cage during our open gyms working on their swings,” Margelofsky said.

It’s not all about hits, however, as the team has also shown the patience at the plate to draw 60 walks in its first eight games.

On the mound, its been Wegner who has returned to his spot as the team’s ace with senior southpaw Tyler Rosin as the No. 2 and Boettcher the No. 3. All three have been so successful, Margelofsky has had to change what he’s done in practice to get them a chance to throw.

“We’ve actually had to have guys throw to our guys live during practice because we’re searching for ways to get them to throw,” Margelofsky said.

The one are the Bears have shown they have to improve is defense which showed up in the lone loss of the season thus far.

“The one game we lost we got behind and really didn’t put up a fight,” said Margelofsky of the Bears’ 4-1 loss to Ashwaubenon. “Since then we’ve been down a couple different times and have come back to win those games. The guys have to learn to keep plugging along if they get down early.”