For Shamokin Area, it's time.
The Indians are all grown up.
Labeled a young team - and rightly so - with a roster dominated by freshman and sophomores the past two seasons, the Indians struggled, winning only two games in 2009 and four last season.
It's time now to shed that tag, and Indians' head coach Billy Clark has told his team as much. What once was youth is now experience, and even though only two of seven seniors on the roster are lettermen, there are six other returning letter winners, all with varsity starting experience.
"We definitely should be considered a veteran team," Clark said recently. "Almost everybody we have coming back has played two years for us.
"We can't say we're young anymore."
And, while the Indians still have to find that dominant arm, they probably have as many, if not more, pitchers available to them as just about any team.
The two senior lettermen, Dylan Kosmer and Jon Miller, are both pitchers, as are four junior lettermen, Ryan Burns, Devon Craft, Troy Grinaway and Bobby Taylor.
Pitching won't be the major concern. Scoring, however, will be.
"We'll pitch well," Clark said. "What we have to do is find a way to manufacture runs. Last year, we had a lot of one-run games, and most of them didn't go our way."
If the Indians are to take that next step, if this is to be their breakout season, they'll have to find a way to ramp up the offense.
Last season, when they hit only .235 as a team and Ryan Burns' .278 average was best on the team, the Indians scored only 87 runs in 20 games. Throw out wins over Lewisburg and Troy when they combined to hang 28 on the board, that leaves an average of 3.3 runs per outing in the other 18 games.
"In high school baseball, with aluminum bats, that's not going to do it," Clark said.
So, if the Indians can add punch to that offense, they can certainly be a contender in what should again be a very tough, balanced Heartland Conference Division II.
So should Mount Carmel Area.
Coach Joe Varano's Red Tornadoes lost 2010 News-Item co-Player of the Year Mike Domaleski to graduation, and his contributions will be difficult to replace.
The Tornadoes, however, have the people in place to get it done.
The offense has a sure-fire spark at the top of the order in senior second baseman Mark Minnig, an all-area selection who batted .447 last year, scoring 31 runs and compiling 34 hits.
Making the transition smooth for the new season is the fact that shortstop Bobby Shustack returns, making the middle infield solid.
"In high school, you have to be strong up the middle, and I feel we are very solid at short and second with Bobby and Mark, who have both been starters for two years."
While last year's top two arms from the pitching staff - Domaleski and Jeremy Yacobacci - have both graduated, the Tornadoes have some experience returning with Joe Swatsky and Mike Stutzcavage. Swatsky was a starter, and Stutzcavage will become one this season after serving as a hard-throwing closer in the past.
With Bloomsburg, Central Columbia, Loyalsock and Hughesville all primed for good seasons, the division race could be wide open.
Heartland III
Southern Columbia should again wear a target on its back as the favorite in the Division, particulary with outfielder/pitcher Tim Benner back for his senior season.
Benner shared News-Item Player of the Year honors with Domaleski last season, and with good reason.
As a junior, he batted an area-high .608 with 11 extra-base hits, and also worked a team-high 45 innings on the mound, striking out 69 in compiling a 6-2 record.
Another all-area selection, infielder Logan Mensinger, returns for his senior season after hitting .426 last year while driving home a team-high 28 runs.
Senior catcher Zach Schreffler has plenty of experience behind the plate, and batted .339 last year.
Tri-Valley League
Line Mountain enters the season coming off a rare losing campaign and under the guidance of a new head coach in Rodney Knock.
The Eagles finished two games under .500 and missed the District 4 playoffs last season, the final season under Jon Raker.
With seven returning starters, they hope to reverse those fortunes and be a player in the Tri-Valley, where Upper Dauphin and Halifax appear to be strongest.
All-area selection Jordan Welker appears to be the biggest key to that happening, particularly after an injury during the fall kept him off the football field.
As a junior, Welker, a shortstop/pitcher, hit .448 with nine extra-base hits, including an area-high four home runs. He also produced a 4-2 record on the mound.
"Coaches and players are both excited and optimistic," Knock said in his preseason prospectus. "As a team, we need to get back to the basics and have better situational awareness at key points in games.
"Our team goals are to win the TVL championship and qualify for districts. We have an experienced bunch of players and if we get collective leadership out of that bunch, we should have a successful season."
Schuylkill League
Lourdes enters the Schuylkill Division II season with a roster that includes nine freshmen and sophomnores among 14 players listed.
On the bright side, they have three returning starters and five returning lettermen.
Of the returners, sophomore Anthony Pennypacker brings a .277 batting average from last season. Grier Melick, another returning starter, batted .259.
With the young roster competing in a division stacked with small-school powers Minersville, Schuylkill Haven, Tri-Valley and Williams Valley, head coach Dave Olsheski and his staff have established modest goals of being competitive every day and improving upon the four wins the team put up in 2010.
At North Schuylkill, head coach Nick Brayford will look to senior Charlie Hutnick, a returning all-area player who hit .377 as a juinor last year, to spark his team against the teams in powerful Schuylkill I.