Area squads will try to find the right pieces for the high school baseball puzzle this spring.

Redfield, which has qualified for every state tournament since 2019, will have a bit of new role this season. Groton will try to secure its first postseason victory, while Warner-Ipswich-Northwestern (W-I-N) will look to make the most of its second ever high school campaign.

Groton, which lost four seniors to graduation, has a versatile squad with numerous players that can play multiple positions.

“It’s definitely easier knowing what position they can and can’t play at times,” said Groton coach Seth Erickson. “We’re kind of lucky that a lot of these kids throughout the years have played a lot of different positions, so they’re pretty comfortable playing wherever.”

The Tigers will be bolstered by the return of pitcher Dillon Abeln, who broke his wrist last summer and missed most of the American Legion season.

“He’s been a big piece of our pitching staff the last two or three years,” Erickson said. “We greatly missed him last summer, so it’s good to have him back this spring.”

Bradin Althoff, who will play at Dakota Wesleyan next season, is also a key piece.

“He’s one of the better hitters around this area, I believe,” Erickson said.

Additional help will come from Logan Ringgenberg, Colby Dunker, Braxton Imrie, and Brevin Fliehs, a left-handed leadoff hitter who will be a table setter for the Tigers.

“He’ll probably lead us in on base percentage and stolen bases this year,” Erickson said of Fliehs. “He’s going to be a huge part of our team.”

The Tigers are searching for their first playoff victory so that is a big goal this spring.

“We’re 0-2 in the playoffs so far in high school,” Erickson said, “so I think a goal of ours is to get that playoff win out of the way and try to make a run at the state tournament.”

Redfield is no stranger to the state tourney, but the Muskrats have a lot of holes to fill this season after losing five all-region players from last year’s squad.

“Finding a way to replace that many good ball players is going to be tough,” said Redfield coach Tommy Gregg. “We’re going to be young and inexperienced in some spots, so just trying to find a way to plug those holes has been kind of a challenge this spring.”

Redfield will be led by two-time all-region selection Erik Salmen.

“He’s got as much power as anybody in the Class B level,” Gregg said of his four-year starter.

Kevin Weller will also be counted on for major contributions again this spring.

“Kevin Weller is another kid who kind of found his niche last year in high school baseball and really hit for a real high average and did a nice job with guys in scoring position,” Gregg said. “Those guys come at a premium. You’ll take them any time you can get them.”

Eli Morrissette provides a little bit of everything for the Muskrats and can play multiple positions, including pitcher where he tossed a no-hitter in the team’s first game on Saturday.

“He just did the stuff that probably doesn’t show up in the box score,” Gregg said.

Redfield will be in a much different role this spring compared to year’s past.

“I think we’re definitely in a way different situation than we’ve been in the past and that’s not a bad thing,” Gregg said. “We feel like we’re a good program.”

He expects the squad to improve throughout the course of the season and still be a factor come playoff time.

“What we are today isn’t what we’re going to be at the end of the season,” Gregg said.

W-I-N will be counting on its depth to be a strength this spring.

“We’re really athletic,” said W-I-N coach Jeremiah Maxfield. “We have a lot of really good depth at pitching, which isn’t always the case.”

The squad will be led by Devon Fischbach who brings a lot to the table.

“He’s one of those really good team leaders,” Maxfield said. “He’s going to bring that fire and intensity. He has a really high baseball IQ.”

Pitcher Gavin Lane had a huge season last year for the Junior Legion squad, going 6-0, and leading the team in innings pitched, strikeouts and earned run average.

“He pitches to a lot of weak contact,” Maxfield said.

Additional help will come from Drew Bakeberg, Xavier Kadlec and Dawson Ward.

Maxfield is hoping that a strong Junior Legion season last year will translate into success this high school season. That squad had a .435 batting average and stole nearly 100 bases.

While W-I-N is just in its second season of high school baseball, Maxfield believes in his players and thinks his team has a chance to make some noise this spring.

“You have to believe in yourself. I always tell my guys, the majority of baseball is the mental aspect. … I think we can make a run at it,” Maxfield said. “If we end up in the state tournament I wouldn’t be surprised. I believe in my guys and the abilities that we have.”