YOUNGSVILLE — The Youngsville Eagles baseball team has a lot of production to replace from last year’s club that finished 15-5 and made it to the District 10 Class A semifinals.

Perhaps head coach Eddie Dorunda said it best when asked how to overcome those lost to graduation.

“Next question,” he said with a laugh.

Dorunda’s response is fair considering those that graduated. That list includes District 10 first-team outfielder and Region 3 player of the year Matt DeSimone, Region 3 pitcher of the year Nathan Lucks (now pitching at Alfred State), Wyatt Dalrymple, Lane Buccardo, Gavin Bundy and Alex Patch.

Despite looking at a rebuilding year — as well as the looming cloud of the Warren County School District board’s decision to close Youngsville High School at the end of this school year — Dorunda says his and his team’s goals remain the same entering 2025.

“The approach is still the same,” said Dorunda. “We were in the cage all offseason and our goal is always going to be to win. (The board’s decision) has hurt our numbers this season. There’s no denying that. But at the end of the day, we can’t worry about the politics. We have to worry about throwing strikes and putting the ball in play.”

It’s not like Youngsville isn’t returning any experience. This year’s team includes a trio of seniors who all played key roles last season and a junior that was named to the Region 3 first team in 2024.

Shortstop and pitcher James Johnson returns for his senior season after hitting .379 with 16 RBI, 27 runs, four doubles and a triple a year ago. Johnson also compiled a 3.71 ERA with a 1-0 record and 15 strikeouts on the mound in 2024.

Senior Talon Mesel will move from left field to center field this year in an effort to replace the graduated DeSimone. Mesel batted .333 with 19 runs and 10 RBI a season ago and made a number of highlight reel catches defensively.

The team’s third senior — Cole Johnson — will do a little bit of everything this season, including plenty of time behind the plate. Johnson batted .302 with six RBI and three doubles for the Eagles during last year’s campaign.

Junior David Manning will take over the role of workhorse pitcher for the Eagles after Lucks graduated from last year’s team. Manning earned a 3-1 record in 2024 with a 4.40 ERA and 26 strikeouts. Manning was also named to the Region 3 first-team at first base and hit .356 with 19 RBI and three doubles.

Other juniors on the roster include Braydon Baker, Dylan DePasquale and Logan King. Baker was injured during basketball season and will miss some time to begin the season, but “will provide a big impact on the field and in the lineup when he is back,” said Dorunda.

With their numbers situation, the Eagles will have to rely heavily on underclassmen this season. Dorunda is high on sophomores Bryce Spinks, Carsyn Branstrom, Joshua Pikna and Aaden Patch as well as incoming freshman Riley Lauger.

While the lineup will look a lot different for the red and white this season, Dorunda’s goal for each game remains largely the same and he expects the team to improve as the season progresses.

“We want to give each opponent a tough matchup,” said Dorunda. “We’re a young lineup. I want the guys swinging the bat and giving themselves a chance to compete. Day by day we’re continuing to make improvements. It will just take game time experience and patience.”

That game experience and real time reps will help Dorunda’s team improve in several important aspects of the game.

“Patience, communication, and teamwork,” he said. “We saw in our first couple scrimmages this year that the game is moving very fast for a lot of the guys right now, as expected. Give it a couple weeks and I think they will surprise themselves with how capable they are once the nerves settle.”

Youngsville will compete in Region 4 this season alongside Union City, Mercyhurst Prep, Eisenhower, Seneca and Iroquois.

“If the guys keep putting in the work at practice and stay together as a team, I think it can be a very fun season,” said Dorunda. “The majority of our opponents are AA and we even have a AAA matchup with Corry. Seeing those arms all season long will be beneficial when it comes time for the Class A playoffs.”