OAK CREEK – Scott Holler has a problem and really does not think many summer baseball coaches really envy what he will have to do to figure it out.

Holler, entering his fifth year as head coach of the Oak Creek summer baseball team, returns all eight position starters from last season and 14 seniors in total that will all see significant field time, will have to find a way to make them all happy.

On top of it all seven of those 14 have committed to play college ball and two more are narrowing down their choices before choosing a place to play beyond high school.

“It’s absurd, it really is,” Holler said. “Our goal as a coaching staff was to have five or six quality players. Our biggest class before this was eight.

“I tried to figure out ways to get players a break last year and will be able to do that this year without much if any drop off.”

With that many players going on to play at the next level, Holler said the first week of practice has been intense with everyone working hard to get even better.

“They are definitely approaching things with a very workmanlike mentality,” Holler said. “They know they are all preparing to compete at the next level.”

With the taste of playing in the last day of the summer baseball season last year before losing to eventual WIAA state summer baseball champion Milwaukee Marquette in the state semifinals, the motivation is there to bring home some hardware to Oak Creek, as well.

“I’d be lying if I said they didn’t have thoughts of a state title” Holler said. “My job as a coach is to get them ready for the next day because last year was last year. Right now, they have zero wins.”

What the Knights, ranked No. 1 in the preseason Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association summer baseball poll, do have is ace pitcher Eric Semmelhack and No. 2 hurler Ross Fassbinder.

The 6-foot, 5-inch Semmelhack will play at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee while Fassbinder will play at Winona State University.

It’s not the front of the rotation that Holler is working on at the minute. He’s got spots from the No. 3 spot on back, he needs to take a look at and will get a chance to see in scrimmages set for Friday and Saturday.

“Those guys (No. 3 through No. 7) are going to be relied on a lot,” Holler said. “We have quality arms, I’m just waiting for someone to go get it.”

Where the Knights should be able to go get it is offensively where of the 1,299 at-bats the team had last season, 1,249 are back this year. Of those, 110 resulted in extra base hits (68 doubles, 22 triples, 20 home runs).

“There’s no substitute for experience,” Holler said. “The fact that guys have seen some great arms during their years here, means they shouldn’t be overwhelmed by much if anything. They’ve all been there before. They’ve all played in big games.”

If the speech assistant coach and pitching coach Joel Paar gave at practice Wednesday is true to life, the only thing capable of ripping these Knights apart is if they all try to do things on their own.