As snow slowly melts and sunlight returns, patches of green begin to show themselves on baseball diamonds across the Midwest. To many, the month of March brings much more than warm weather and longer days; with spring comes the crack of bats, smell of leather gloves and yells of umpires. Baseball is here.

The undisputed pastime of American sports, baseball has returned to Grinnell for the 2008 season. With the new year comes veterans and rookies who plan to go further than before under the head coaching of Tim Hollibaugh. "We're gonna be very damn dangerous this year," said pitcher Gary Kahn '09.

The Pioneers enter the year with "the most experience that I've seen in my time here," said Hollibaugh. "Realistically, the expectations are high."

Returning from last year are seven starters, three of whom are seniors, as well as nine pitchers who have pitched in college baseball games.

There are some worries as to the "smaller than usual freshman class," said Kahn. With only three freshmen after what Hollibaugh called a "tough admissions year," the weight of the team rests largely on returning players.

Even though their numbers are small, the team values the first-year class. "The team's very impressed with their work ethic," said Kahn. "They come in every day, keep their mouths shut and get their work done."

Only one starting position player from last year graduated, setting Grinnell's offense up as an extreme threat to opposing teams. Hollibaugh points to Brett Maloney '09, Ryan Fletcher '11, and a quickly improving Paden Roder '10, as explosive bats in the lineup so far this season. Other key points in Grinnell's offense include Robbie Unsell '08 and Chad Takabuki '10, who each hit over .350 last season.

But beyond the powerful offense and solid defense, the pitching leaves a few questions to be answered. "We are going to go as far as our pitching staff," said Hollibaugh.

With nine pitchers on their roster, the Pioneers' depth in pitching is one of the teams' strongest points. However, the team lacks an ace to rotate around. In past years, the starting rotation has been cemented by a few regular starting pitchers. This year, spots are much more uncertain and up for grabs.

"We've got depth, we've got talent, it's just a matter of whether they can compete this year," said Hollibaugh. While more than enough pitchers are available to fill starting and relief positions, a clear go-to pitcher has yet to be established.

The pitchers see their importance in putting the offense into optimal positions. "We've just got to get up there and pound the strike zone," said Kahn.

With an undefeated record indoors so far, a tough schedule sits ahead of the Pioneers. The team opens with a double header against St. Olaf who was nationally ranked at 19. The teams in the Midwest Conference are strong year after year, but the team is hopeful and "not giving any team too much credit," said Kahn.

With such a tough schedule and heated rivalries between conference teams, there are undoubtedly plenty of intense games in store for Grinnell baseball and its fans this season.