Area teams open spring season with youth, growth and high expectations

As the spring season gets underway, teams across the area are preparing for new challenges, fresh faces and opportunities to grow. From the baseball diamond to the tennis courts and lacrosse field, Marlington and Lake enter the 2026 season with a shared theme – developing talent while staying competitive.

Marlington Baseball

At Marlington, the Dukes baseball team looks to build on last year’s 13-14 record and third-place finish in the Eastern Buckeye Conference. Head coach Cody Jones enters his seventh year with the program (sixth season coaching) and brings a consistent level of competitiveness, with a 70-56 record during his tenure.

This year’s team, however, will look different.

“We will be much younger this year after losing five senior starters from last year’s squad,” Jones said. “We will look for some inexperienced players to step up and lead this year.”

Among those expected to take on larger roles are senior Brock Woods, along with junior pitchers Cole Jones and Landon Hawthorne. Sophomores Matthew Baldwin and Logan Smith also return, giving the Dukes a foundation to build around.

Despite the youth, pitching depth stands out as a potential strength.

“Pitching depth and team chemistry,” Jones said when asked about his team’s strengths. “We have a lot of capable arms to pitch for us this year … plenty of pitchers that can throw strikes and give us a chance to win.”

A group of newcomers, including Carson Klusch, Harrison Selzer and several underclassmen, will also be counted on to contribute early.

As with any young team, early-season consistency will be key.

“We have a lack of experience and we will need guys to step up early,” Jones said. “How quickly we adapt to the speed of the game at the varsity level will have a lot to do with how well we start.”

Even with the transition, expectations within the program remain unchanged.

“Our goals every year are to win our league, win a district title and win 20 games,” Jones said. “We’ve been in position late in the season before, and I look for us to be competitive in the league once again.”

Lake Boys Tennis

At Lake, the boys’ tennis team enters the season after an impressive 11-3 record and a Federal League runner-up finish. But like Marlington baseball, the Blue Streaks will rely on new faces stepping into key roles.

“Four of our seven varsity spots were held by graduating seniors,” head coach David Maurer said. “We will have a new-look lineup but with athletes who have had solid development at the JV level.”

Lake returns seniors Erik Neely and JP Moorhead, along with juniors Ethan Base and Dylan Kolarik. While the team lacks extensive varsity experience, the roster is filled with upperclassmen ready for their opportunity.

“I expect the team to be a competitive group ready to step into their new roles,” Maurer said. “We should see a lot of growth in these athletes.”

With lineup spots still being evaluated, flexibility will be important early in the season.

“I expect we should see some differing lineup combinations to find out what puts our athletes in a position to find the most success,” Maurer said.

As always, the Federal League presents a tough challenge.

“The Federal League is always a competitive place for tennis,” Maurer said. “We expect to be a part of that competition.”

Lake Boys Lacrosse

On the lacrosse field, Lake looks to take a step forward after a 2-14 season a year ago. Head coach Tony Richards enters his third season leading the program, with a focus on development and identity.

The Blue Streaks return a solid core of players, including senior goalie Brody Dutton, who has been a starter since his freshman year, along with seniors Cole Carson, Lincoln Miller and Domenic Maricocchi.

This year’s team is expected to show a different style of play.

“We will be a really good passing team this season,” Richards said. “On offense, our chemistry has been building through the offseason.”

That emphasis on ball movement has become a central focus.

“Ball control has been a point we have driven home, and our team has been buying into that system,” Richards said.

Defensively, the Blue Streaks bring back experience and physicality, with players like Chris Wenum and Tristan Shuman anchoring the unit.

“We will be a physical team,” Richards said, noting that several players are stepping into larger roles after gaining experience in the program.

Still, youth and inexperience may lead to early challenges.

“We lost talent from last year,” Richards said. “It’s a young group that will have some growing pains jumping to varsity.”

Despite that, expectations center on improvement.

“We are looking to improve greatly on our record from last year,” Richards said.

Across all three programs, the goal is consistent: growth now, with an eye toward competing as the season progresses. Whether it’s Marlington baseball developing young talent, Lake tennis reshaping its lineup or Lake lacrosse building chemistry, each team enters the spring with something to prove – and the opportunity to take meaningful steps forward.