Between a difficult schedule and an influx of new players on the team, it seems that the Saint Louis University baseball team has its work cut out for itself in the upcoming season.

Even so, this hasn’t stood in the way of Head Coach Darin Hendrickson’s optimism.

“The future’s bright here, it’s just going to take some time,” he said of the team’s incoming players.

With 19 new faces on a team of 29, Hendrickson says that the biggest challenge of the upcoming season will be overcoming inexperience.

“A lot of players have not played at this level, and that’s a tough thing to have,” he said.

Hendrickson said one of the major focuses of the season would be figuring out his team’s identity, and said he looks forward to coaching the new members and watching them grow as people. With two major road trips coming up, Hendrickson said his players will have to start sorting out their identity soon.

“I think we’re going to need to figure out, ‘Are we young and inexperienced, or young and hungry?'” he said.

In a way, a somewhat blank slate is just what Hendrickson is looking for. He said he embraces the chance for a fresh start after enduring the difficulties of last season, which marked the first losing season he had experienced as a head coach.

But this season will not be all about uncertainty and inexperience. Pitcher Dave Sever said he is impressed by the team’s depth and expects a positive difference offensively as well.

“I think our offense will be a lot better than it has in years past,” he said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do.”

Hendrickson echoed his thoughts.

“Our overall depth is better and our athleticism is better,” he said. “Until we throw these guys in the fire, I’m not sure about any predictions . You just have to kind of let them play in the beginning and hope that their preparation and hard work pays off.”

Both Sever and pitcher Scott Turmail also expressed excitement about a landmark game against Mizzou that will be played in Busch Stadium downtown.

“I’m from St. Louis and grew up a Cardinals fan, so to be able to play a game in their stadium will be quite an experience,” Turmail said.

In addition to the game against Mizzou, the team’s schedule includes the top eight teams in the Atlantic-10 Conference, though it works to their advantage that a lot of their games will be played at home.

On the field, Hendrickson said he expects a lot of new faces on the pitcher’s mound, but that Sever and Turmail would be “without question our one and two.” The same can be said for hitters; a lot of new players, and only three returners whom he said could be counted on to be healthy- junior J.D. Dunn, senior Ryan Bennett and junior Andrew Guerra.

Hendrickson, Sever and Turmail all echoed the belief that great chemistry on the team would be a positive and important aspect of this season.