WEST SALEM – The West Salem baseball team has been in this spot before. It was last year, as a matter of fact, when it ran the table en route to claiming the Dairyland Conference-Large title.

The Panthers have another stellar season in the works with a 8-0 record within the conference and 14-0 overall – the lone remaining summer baseball unbeaten.

Head coach Chuck Ihle, who has worked the Panthers dugout for the last 24 years, said as a team playing with a target on its back, it all comes down to confidence.

“We are a very confident bunch, but at the end of the day we know if don’t play at the top of our game, another team could come in an bite us,” Ihle said.

Going in search of a fourth straight conference title has been done with senior southpaw Dan Schneider who is in his fourth year on varsity and lives for the big moments.

“It is really unfair to think every time we give him the ball to take the mound he’s going to win the games,” Ihle said of Schneider, who is 4-0 this season with a 1.96 ERA.

It may be unfair, but as Schneider as shown on the mound and in the batter’s box, where he is hitting .511 this season, he performs well when the pressure is on.

“He wants the ball in tough times,” Ihle said of the first-team all-conference hurler, who plays center field when he’s not pitching. “If there’s guys on base, he wants to be at the plate. He’s just that type of player and he has come through for us time and time again throughout his career.”

Leadoff hitter Brian Wright has had a big hand in getting things started for the Panthers, too, with an on-base percentage of over .600.

“He works deep into counts and is not afraid to do that,” Ihle said. “He really lets us see pitches so the rest of the lineup has an idea of what the pitcher has to offer on a given day. And he just finds ways to get on base.”

Guys seem to be stepping up to come through for the Panthers.

In last Friday’s victory, it was Jacob  McCabe, who moved to West Salem from Viroqua before the start of the school year, who has stepped into the pitching rotation and delivered a 2-0 record with a 2.03 ERA.

The man behind the plate is one Ihle is happy with, as well, in sophomore Ton Schultz, who has developed into what Ihle called “one of the top catchers in the area.”

“He’s hitting over .700 in 36 at-bats and has really found his stroke this year,” Ihle said of his No. 2 hitter. “He’s really come into his own.”

With the pieces falling into place, West Salem is certainly making itself known as a force to reckon with as the season winds down.