The 2013 Lancaster Bible baseball team was built to beat teams with their offense. The Chargers wanted to outscore teams and didn't rely on their pitching and defense which was evidenced several times last season when the Chargers gave up lots of unearned runs, usually at unfortunate times.

The 2014 edition of the Chargers has swung the door the other way. The offense is still there, but almost every offseason workout began and ended with defense and pitching in mind. Gone are the days of holding your breath as the ball travels from third or short to first. Gone are the days when a relief pitcher is brought in to get an out, only instead, a walk is issued.

"The entire offseason has been dedicated to defense," Lancaster Bible Head Coach T.J. Horn said. "I feel confident we have a person at every position who can make plays defensively."

Lancaster Bible was just 7-24 last season and 1-13 in North Eastern Athletic Conference play. The Chargers lost eight games by two runs or less, including six one-run games. Horn said the team's added depth, both in the field and on the mound, should help them turn those losses into victories.

"We have six new relievers who can come in and throw which is something we've never had," Horn said. "Off the bench we have guys who can hit in key situations and play good defense."

A quick defensive breakdown looks like this according to Horn.

Catching
Kody Godsey, Sr.
Nate Burns, So.

"The addition of Burns is huge for this team," Horn said. "His ability to play the position is tremendous and lets us do a lot of things in the lineup as well."

Infielders
Erich Carroll, So., 3B
Justin Taylor, Fr., SS
Ryan Hartline, So., 2B
Micah McClay, Sr., 2B
Kody Godsey, Sr., 1B
Jimmy Eagan, Fr., 1B
Peter Shue, Jr., 1B
Brian Niedergall, Fr., INF
Chad Williams, Fr., 2B
Brett Haller, Fr., INF
Josiah Weaver, Sr., INF

"The left side of the infield has been upgraded," Horn said. "Carroll and Taylor are really good defensive players and I just don't see a whole lot getting through that side of the infield. Likewise, I think we have great depth at second base and first base and have lots of good options."

Outfielders
Nate Long, Jr., LF
Matt Taliercio, Sr., CF
Caleb Mayer, Jr., RF
Ian Ebersole, Fr., OF
Doug Condran, So., OF
Gabe Yoder, Fr., OF
Ricky Bisch, So., OF

"With Mayer, Taliercio and Long in the outfield, we have lots of experience and thus less mental mistakes hopefully," Horn said. "Those guys will be counted on in all aspects of our team and defense plays a part of that."

While much improved from 2012, the 2013 Chargers still struggled on the mound at times. The team's 7.63 ERA was a full three runs lower than 2012's team, but Lancaster Bible pitchers still gave up double-digit hits in 18 of 31 games last season. Thirteen of those 18 games also featured double-digit runs on the scoreboards for the opponent, something Horn said can't happen in 2014.

"I think the pitching will be better as we have good arms combined with experience," Horn said. "Mayer being healthy is a big deal and injecting Nate Long into the rotation will be a great addition. Wade Zweizig is a sneaky pitcher who surprises hitters and Micah McClay is back as a senior leader who gives us lots of good innings every year."

Pitchers
Micah McClay, Sr., RHP
Ian Ebersole, Fr., RHP
Mitch Kumher, Jr., RHP
Jimmy Eagan, Fr., RHP
Alex Bahn, Sr., LHP
Nate Horn, Sr., RHP
Caleb Mayer, Jr., RHP
Ethan Derliunas, Fr. RHP
Nate Long, Jr., RHP
Gabe Yoder, Fr., LHP

While the attention this offseason has been focused on pitching and defense, the Chargers still possess a potent lineup and Horn thinks this year's hitters are better than last year's.

"I believe our balance is better and we won't have to rely on the bats to win us games this season, but make no mistake, the bats are still king on this team," Horn said. "It's hard to find a weakness within our first six batters and I don't think there is a ton of drop-off for our 7-8-9 hitters."

The first six batters will consist of Taylor, Long, Taliercio, Carroll, Godsey and Mayer for most of the Chargers' games. Taliercio led NCAA Division III in home runs per game last season and was second in slugging percentage. Godsey has hit .300 or better in each of his first three seasons and Mayer hit .381 as a freshman in 2012.

Despite losing some speed on the base paths, Horn doesn't think the Chargers will see a drop off in stolen bases.

"We lost some speed, but I think we have smarter base runners now," Horn said. "We may not have the speed from last year, but the guys are aware of what the pitcher is doing and can read the play very well."

The mindset heading into the season is two-pronged for the Chargers. After going 7-24 last season, they realize they are the underdog and not much is expected of them from the outside, but at the same time, they know this year's group can be special and they possess the skills to make a playoff run in the NEAC.

"The goal is always to make the NEAC playoffs, but frankly, we want to win every single time we step on the field," Horn said. "I think we've been arrogant in the past about how a season would play out and that isn't the case this season. The guys are confident and ready to play, but they know they need to show it on the field. There is no more time for talking, we just need to go out there and play."

Lancaster Bible opens its season on Saturday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at The Ripken Experience. The Chargers will face King's (Pa.) on Saturday at 7 p.m. before playing Penn Tech on Sunday, Mount St. Mary (N.Y.) and Albertus Magnus on Monday, Emory & Henry on Tuesday and Penn St. Schuylkill on Wednesday.

The Chargers home opener is currently scheduled for Wednesday, March 19, at 1 p.m. when they host Baptist Bible for a doubleheader. Horn will once again be assisted on the bench by Mike Freeman and Shawn Leaman, while the team will also welcome 2013 Lancaster Bible graduate Frank DiFilippo to the coaching staff as well.