Speedy sophomore Michael Wellstead is the returning starter in right field.

The College of Wooster baseball program returns an intriguing mix of personnel from the 2010 team, which won the North Coast Athletic Conference championship for the second year in a row, part of a 34-9 season, as the Fighting Scots have three of their top-four pitchers back in Justin McDowell, Matt Barnes, and Tyler Fugate, to go with Baseball America's preseason NCAA Div. III Player-of-the-Year Greg Van Horn, who headlines an otherwise new-look lineup.

"I'm real excited about the pitching staff," concurred long-time coach Tim Pettorini, who enters 2011 with a 953-341-6 career record, all at Wooster. "Those three guys … could be No. 1 pitchers for a lot of teams, and probably be an upgrade for a lot of teams. That's really encouraging when you add the new (NCAA) bat standards in there. It means we have a chance in every game, no matter how many young guys we're playing. The pitchers are really going to have to carry us early in the season."

McDowell started a national championship game at the 2009 NCAA Div. III Baseball Championships, capping an All-American sophomore season that saw him go 13-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 94 strikeouts over 113.2 innings. Last spring, the right-hander with a knee-buckling slider posted an 8-3 record, 2.64 ERA, and 71 strikeouts in 71.2 innings pitched en route to first-team all-NCAC and second-team all-region honors.

Pettorini expects the hard-throwing Barnes "to be every bit as good." In his fifth year with the program (missed 2009 due to injury), Barnes has 20 career wins (20-7), including six last spring (6-2) when he compiled a 3.96 ERA and 65 strikeouts during 61.1 innings pitched, good for a second-team all-conference accolade.

The other member of the senior right-handed trio is Fugate, who broke on to the scene last season. After seeing just 33.0 innings previously, Fugate nearly doubled that (62.0 innings) as the closer and a part-time starter. Overall, he went 6-1 with five saves, a 2.90 ERA, and 65 strikeouts, and joined McDowell on the All-NCAC First Team and All-Mideast Region Second Team.

Two big veterans, junior Josh Stidham, who is 6-7 and 230 pounds, and sophomore Keenan White, a 6-4, 210-pound southpaw, are expected to step up as key members of the staff. They combined for 54.0 innings pitched a year ago, with Stidham (27.2 innings) winning his lone decision and accumulating a 1.95 ERA and White (26.1 innings) going 2-0, including a relief victory during the NCAC Tournament.

Additional mound prospects include junior Kyle Cunningham-Rhoads, who has endured injuries, sophomore Jake Mays, a newcomer to the squad who brings 6-8 size and another left-handed option, and a number of freshmen, highlighted by Steve Hagen, Zach Washinski, Doug Chapman, and Zac Sessa.

Offensively, Pettorini expects to fill out a lineup card with as many as five first-years at times, but with Van Horn's presence, he feels confident that the youthful Scots will feed off one of the nation's top players.

"Getting (him) back is huge and settles everything down a little bit. He really plays at a high pace. Not having him in the fall held us back," explained Pettorini.

Van Horn picked up third-team All-American honors from both the coaches' organization (ABCA) and D3baseball.com after batting .486 with 35 extra-base hits coming in the form of 19 doubles, eight triples, and eight homers, which added up to a school-record .890 slugging percentage, and he also tallied 56 RBI and 16 stolen bases in his first season with the program. A transfer from Princeton University, Van Horn will start at shortstop again and man the No. 3 hole in the order.

Among those protecting Van Horn in the lineup will be capable veterans Zack Vesco, Michael Wellstead, and Michael DeBord. Vesco, a junior third baseman, has not only been a two-year starter but twice selected to the all-conference team, including second-team honors last year after hitting .360 with 33 RBI. In addition to aligning next to Van Horn in the field, Vesco may bat directly behind him in the clean-up spot.

The tall (6-5), lanky, and speedy Wellstead was a rookie starter in right field during 2010 and he'll likely stay in that position, while aiming to build on a .263 batting average. DeBord, a junior, has seen significant action as a designated hitter and back-up catcher and is now the leading candidate to take over the starting role behind the plate. When given the opportunity, he has swung the bat well, witness a .382 career average.

A number of other veterans are vying for regular action. Senior Derek Wyman is a team tri-captain who will play, according to Pettorini, probably in a variety of roles from second base to first base to designated hitter. Power-hitting junior Colin Meinzer is labeled as Wooster's top defensive first baseman and will provide depth at catcher as well. Sophomore outfielders Ryan Miner, the team's fastest player, and Johnathan Ray, also are in contention for regular contributions.

That group will be competing for action with several highly-touted newcomers. In all, there are 14 freshmen position players, with Craig Day, Billy Farrow, Mark Jackson, Zach Jergan, and Zac Mathie all possibly making an immediate impact. Day is a second baseman and "very talented offensive player," according to Pettorini, while Farrow possesses the size and skills to be a prototypical first baseman. Jergan is being looked at in centerfield and as a possible leadoff hitter, and Mathie, a prospect in left field, may be the lone lefty bat in the starting lineup. Jackson's power could land him the DH role.

Other first-years expected to get looks this spring are Zach Klein, a defensive specialist at third base and pitching prospect, Eddie Reese, whose athleticism alone will get him some action somewhere in the infield, and outfielder Mike Ries, who hit his way into consideration during the fall, as well as left-handed options Matt Felvey and Shane Gallagher.

"We're going to play some young guys in there. We think they have some genuine talent … (but) it's going to take awhile for some of these guys to hit their stride," Pettorini said.

While the Scots are no doubt young, the expectations don't change. They still rank 17th in the D3baseball.com preseason poll and will be one of the top contenders to extend their league record of 13 NCAC championships.

"I really like the potential," summed up Pettorini. "I think (the freshmen) will improve everyday, and hopefully (with) the veteran guys leading the way, these guys will figure it out. How quickly they figure it out will determine how quickly we go from being very good to really, really good."