SYRACUSE – Enthusiasm in the Wawasee softball is pretty high these days.

Returning a talented portion of its starting lineup from last year and building a core of depth unlike anything the program has seen in years, first-year head coach Jared Knipper is pretty excited to see what his team can do this season.

“Do your job. That’s our philosophy,” said Knipper in not quite the Tom Thibodeau drawl famous in Chicago. “We have no real individuals taking over from a leadership standpoint. It has been a group effort. No one is better than the group.”

Knipper, who coached at neighboring West Noble for several years, is very familiar with what Wawasee has been building having faced the program during the regular season and also playing in the same sectional. While Knipper admits he isn’t entirely familiar with the Northern Lakes Conference on a name-to-name basis with everyone’s stud players, he does know the teams that comprise the Lakeland Sectional. And he feels pretty good about what it takes to win there.

“That’s a very competitive sectional and has been for a long time,” Knipper said. “The North East Corner Conference is not anything like the Northern Lakes Conference. But we did see Fairfield and Lakeland a lot in the NECC, and they have been the primary teams in that sectional. That should help at least in prep work. We shouldn’t have any excuse because we see them during the season, too.”

Knipper is choosing to leave position battles open as the season is probably a couple weeks away although the scrimmage with Tippecanoe Valley is slated for this Saturday. Letting the players dictate their playing fate has opened battles at almost every position, creating a healthy offseason program. The format has allowed Knipper to pick and choose from a roster of nearly 25 girls he can trust.

Returning players will take the lead, and it helps to have All-NLC junior Alli Ousley and All-NLC sophomore Kylee Rostochak back in tow. Rostochak starred at third base and carried a lethal bat, bringing in an active 22-game hitting streak into the 2014 season. Ousley progressively took over at shortstop and showed a very reliable glove up the middle. Ousley also developed power at the dish, having a game to remember against NorthWood in the regular season finale, cracking a grand slam and driving in five.

Ousley also leads a pitching staff that Knipper eluded has six pitchers who could see time this season in the circle at both levels. Battery mate Paige Hlutke, a junior, started at catcher her first two seasons on varsity and has a cannon of an arm.

Courtney Crabtree is the lone senior on the roster and has played sparingly at varsity the past two seasons. Junior Priscilla Weikart carries a huge bat with her with home run potential and classmate Alexis Graber helped the 2013 JV in the circle and also has a very skillful eye at the plate. Knipper also pointed out sophomore Danielle Gunkel could help right away with the varsity.

While Northridge looks to again be the cream of the crop in the NLC again this year with a powerful lineup in tow, Wawasee could make some moves after finishing just 6-8 and fifth in the conference. With the weather the way its been and snow still keeping fields rock hard, looking at mid-April and the NLC season isn’t a far-fetched notion.

“We have focused on the small things, like small ball and defense,” Knipper said of the weather. “We can’t do anything about it, but neither can anyone else. We just have to keep working on getting better individually and as a team.”