AUBURNDALE, Fla. (Duhawks.com) - After spending the last month confined to the indoors, the Loras Baseball team is ready to kick off their 2015 campaign in Auburndale, Florida. The Duhawks will play six games over the course of the next five days, beginning with a doubleheader on March 5 against Saint Mary's (Minn.)

SCOUTING REPORT: SAINT MARY'S
The Cardinals enter Thursday's game on the tail end of their Florida trip, having found great success so far. Cale Pieczynski is 6-of-10 to begin the year, with three of his six hits going for extra bases. Willie Doll and Ben Buerkle are tied for the team lead with eith RBIs each.

SCOUTING REPORT: MSOE
The Raiders are hoping to awake from the nightmare they currently find themselves in. With a team ERA at 11.01, MSOE has struggled to keep their opponents in check offensively. Six of the Raiders' seven losses have come by margins of six runs or more. Jimmy Carrington, a newcomer to the MSOE program, has been tearing the cover off the ball, hitting .400 in his first seven games. The pitching staff is very young, consisting of seven freshmen, which appears to have had an impact on the team's slow start from the mound.

SCOUTING REPORT: BELOIT
The Bucs will kick off their 2015 season against the Duhawks on Saturday after coming off a 15-18 mark in 2014. Alex Lawrence returns for the Bucs after leading Beloit in seven offensive categories. A .388 hitter from a year ago, Lawrence's success at the plate will play a big role in Beloit's success this season. From the mound, Beloit returns their ace, Ryan Kaveney for his junior season. The lefty posted a 1.84 ERA, striking out 72 batters in 63.2 innings. As the probable starter, Loras will have to find a way to break Kaveney from his groove if they hope to come away with a win.

SCOUTING REPORT: WAYNESBURG
Coming off an 18-25 mark from a year ago, Waynesburg returns their top three offensive producers in Jonathon Kletzli, Neal Yakopin and Eric Crum. The three combined to go .390 at the plate and drive in 82 of the team's 208 runs. With these three back in the lineup, the Jackets' opponents will have their hands full. Brian Resnick and Luke Carter both return on the mound for Waynesburg after starting 23 of their 43 games. Resnik posted a 3.28 ERA, limiting opponents to a .261 batting average. Eight of Resnick's 12 starts were complete games.

SCOUTING REPORT: WHEATON
Boasting one of the hottest hitters in the country, Wheaton will conclude Loras' trip on Monday. Peter Newman was named to the D3Baseball National Team of the Week after going 7-of-10 in his first three games. Newman also earned an honorable mention from the NCBWA for his opening week performance. The Thunder are heading into the week 1-2, but will play a doubleheader against Gordon College on Saturday, prior to Monday's contest. From the rubber, Wheaton's starters have struggled to shine, allowing 14 earned runs in three starts, combining for a 10.22 ERA.

TEBON SUITING UP FOR 19TH SEASON WITH THE DUHAWKS
2015 marks the 19th season for head coach Carl Tebon at Loras College. As the skipper, Tebon has accumulated a 391-365-4 record, including an Iowa Conference Championship in 2009. Prior to Loras, Tebon was the head coach at UW-River Falls, where he coached for three years, compiling a 56-38 record.

LORAS PICKED TO FINISH THIRD IN IOWA CONFERENCE
In the preseason poll, the Iowa Conference coaches picked the Duhawks to finish third behind Buena Vista and Wartburg. In 2014, Loras advanced to the final day of the conference tournament before falling to Central.

DUHAWKS RETURN TO FLORIDA
For the first time since 2013, Loras will be kicking off their season at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. Due to their trip to the Dominican Republic, Loras did not make the trip last year. A popular location for many midwest schools, the Duhawks will see plenty of variety in their competition. Their opponents include Saint Mary's, MSOE, Beloit, Waynesburg, and Wheaton. Loras will return to the Key City on March 9.

BROADCAST SCHEDULE FOR SPRING TRIP
Director of Athletic Communications Jim Naprstek will be broadcasting the following games during Loras' Spring Trip: Saint Mary's (DH), MSOE, and Waynesburg. Live stats will also be available during these games. Fans can tune in and following along through the Duhawk Broadcast Network (duhawks.com/live).

REPLACING THE FIELD GENERAL
This season's success will rely heavily on Loras' play in the middle infield. For the first time since 2010, Mike Pudlo will not be directing traffic from his shortstop position. Heading into Opening Day, the shortstop job is up in the air, but sophomore Nolan Ritter is expected to be the starter.

FRESH FACES PATROLLING THE OUTFIELD
All three of Loras' everyday starters in the outfield graduated in 2014, leaving an opportunity for new some new faces to take the reigns. Senior Adam Kennedy is expected to be the Opening Day starter in left field for the Duhawks after paying his dues over the last three seasons. In center, sophomore Cole Reeg will take over for Mark Jablonski. During his first year with the Duhawks, Reeg saw limited time, but made the most of it, batting .224 with eight stolen bases and five RBIs. In right, sophomore Tony Heiser is slated to be the everyday starter after appearing in 23 games a season ago.

WALSH PREPARED TO TAKE NEXT STEP
After leading the Duhawks in batting average, hits, and RBIs, junior Patrick Walsh has spent his offseason working tirelessly tot take his game to the next level. When he wasn't hitting walk off grand slams, Walsh was a handful for opposing batters on the mound. Sporting a 4-4 record and a 4.05 ERA from a season ago, Walsh is primed to have a strong season from the rubber.

SCHRECK READY TO SHUT THE DOOR
With the loss of Jeremy Gerardy to graduation, the closer duties have been turned over to senior Connor Schreck. The Iowa City native missed most of the 2014 season after suffering an upper-body injury, but is healthy and is ready to go for Opening Day. In his limited time last season, Schreck posted six strikeouts in nine innings of work, as well as a 2.00 ERA.