OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 6, 2015) – Oklahoma Christian third-year baseball coach Lonny Cobble freely acknowledges that maintaining the momentum generated by the Eagles during the past two seasons will be a challenge.

As a rookie coach in 2013, he took a squad coming off an 8-34 season and guided it to a 26-26 mark that included a National Christian College Athletic Association Central Region title and NCCAA World Series berth. The Eagles repeated the latter two accomplishments in 2014 while setting a program record for wins with a 38-17-1 season and finishing third in the rugged NCAA Division II Heartland Conference.

Cobble and the Eagles have been all about meeting challenges, though, and he's confident he's got a squad in place to keep building the OC program in a positive direction.

"It's going to be tough to follow up the year we had last year," he said. "We had such a great year. We won some games that we probably shouldn't have won. We even probably lost a few that we shouldn't have lost. That all balances out."

Any success this year will come down to baseball staples – pitching, hitting, baserunning and defense.

"Our pitching is deeper this year than last year, but I don't know if our front-line guys are as strong as some of the front-line guys we've had," he said. "We're probably not going to hit with a lot of power, but we've got great contact guys. I don't think we're going to strike out as much. I think we're going to run the bases well.

"Those are some positives for us and I'm hoping that's the thing that gets us going. We are definitely going to have to manufacture stuff this year and our defense is going to have to be solid."

Perhaps the biggest change from 2014 to 2015 will be on the mound. Senior right-hander Dillon Endecott, an honorable mention All-America pick after recorded a school-record 13 saves and a 1.89 ERA last season, will now be featured in a starting role and figures to be the opening-day hurler for the Eagles on Saturday at Northeastern State in Tahlequah.

Cobble said he and his assistants decided to make the change after Endecott requested a chance to be the team's No. 1 starter. Endecott was primarily used as a starter in junior college.

Although Cobble hasn't determined who will start when, the Eagles' rotation will include Endecott, left-handed transfer Hunter Raley and returning seniors Kelby Reneau (a lefty) and Luke Sandoval (a righty).

The 6-foot-5 Raley has been connected at times during the past 2½ years with three Big 12 Conference schools. He was the 2013 NJCAA Division II World Series most valuable player for Murray State College. Reneau (5-1, 5.19 ERA) and Sandoval (3-2, 6.35 ERA) are the only two remaining holdovers from the 2012 OC squad and have proven highly effective when healthy.

Getting the first crack to replace Endecott as the closer will be junior left-hander Dylon Sturges (4-2, 4.50 ERA), who showed considerable promise in spot relief roles last season. Senior right-hander Eddie Broll (1-0, 2.10 ERA) will remain as the primary setup man.

The options to bridge between the starters and end-game relievers are many. A couple of positions players, outfielder Kyle Lacy (a transfer from Oklahoma City University) and first baseman Kolton Brown, are among them. Right-handers Matt Brown, Zach Loomis (3-2, 6.27 ERA) and Jesse Stephens all return, as does left-hander Garrett Sumpter.

There also are plenty of newcomers, including juco transfer Brennan Walker and freshmen Jared Price, Tanner Foster, Jordan Jones, Garett Hill, Joe Peregrin and Peyton Blass. The latter two, both Deer Creek High School products coming off redshirt years, are southpaws "who have really come on strong," Cobble said.

Behind the plate, OC has one of the Heartland's top catchers in left-handed-hitting senior Caden Cleveland (.330, three home runs, 25 RBIs), a second-team all-conference pick in 2014. Junior transfer Austin Orth, who hits right-handed, will see plenty of action behind the plate as well, with freshmen Austin Hunt and Sam Martin adding extra depth.

Slugging sophomore Kolton Brown (.333, two home runs, eight RBIs) appears the heir apparent to graduated All-America first baseman Blake Stringer. Another returning sophomore, Brady Baugh, also should see time and could work into the lineup as a designated hitter, and freshman Carson James will provide another option.

At second base, Zac Cobble (.280, 12 RBIs) – who played mostly in the outfield last season – will be the starter, with Chase Kuwitzky as the primary backup. Juco transfer Ben McKenzie has earned the starting nod at shortstop and also will be backed up by Kuwitzky.

Senior Cody Rosecrans (.232, one home run, 10 RBIs) appears to be poised for a big season at third base, Lonny Cobble said, and freshman Josh Garbrecht has shown promise during the preseason as well.

The three projected opening-day starting outfielders – Lacy, Jordan Lopez and Derek Jones – all have plenty of speed, Cobble said. Lacy hit .296 with five home runs and 23 RBIs for OCU last season, while Lopez was a first-team All-Heartland pick after hitting .342 with five home runs and 40 RBIs. Jones, who played at Rose State last season, drew recruiting interest from a handful of NCAA Division I programs.

As has been the case during his first two seasons, Cobble's outfield rotation will go at least five deep, with junior Austin Peck and freshman Ryan Ward spotting the three usual starters. Jackson Matthews (.240, five RBIs) is another option in either the outfield or the infield and likely will begin the season as OC's primary designated hitter.

OC was picked in the preseason to finish fourth in the Heartland behind longtime powers St. Edward's (Texas), Lubbock Christian (Texas) and St. Mary's (Texas).

"It's not going to be any easier," Cobble said. "You just never know. Hopefully we win the ones we're supposed to win and half the ones we're not!"