WILSON — When Elise Jancef approached the plate last season, the uneasiness of opposing pitchers had been as much a guarantee as the ensuing sight of the Wilson softball standout trotting around the bases following the pitch.

Pitchers can rest a little easier this season, though, now that the former first-team All-Niagara-Orleans League catcher takes the field for Division I Saint Francis University.

Jancef carried the Lakewomen to an 11-5 overall record last season and a third-place finish in the N-O League, hitting .580   with a team-leading six home runs and 16 RBIs.

With Jancef in college, this year’s Wilson team enters the season with a vastly different look than the one that left the   field after its loss in the Section VI quarterfinal game last June. The bench will look different for the Lakewomen, too, as Maureen Mahar takes over the varsity coaching duties while last year’s skipper, Krista Anthony, assumes a lighter role   as assistant coach.

Mahar inherits a young team, which returns only four upperclassmen for the 2012 campaign. With three sophomores, three freshman   and two eighth-graders on the roster, Mahar insisted she wouldn’t have it any other way

“We have all the right people in place,” she said. “Even though we’re young, we’ll compensate for the lack of experience with   attention to detail and hard work.”

Along with Jancef, the team also lost Mallorie Gagnon and Jamie Curry to graduation. Third baseman and team captain Kailey   Schultz will be joined by pitcher Stacy Thrush to help fill the void as the team’s only seniors.

Mahar said the pair of juniors will also step into big roles for the Lakewomen this season with speedster Jordan Glosser patrolling   center field and batting leadoff and pitcher Lindsay Bryer eating plenty of innings.

Mahar said she expects big things from both of them.

“Jordan is wicked fast,” she said. “She’ll give us a good glove in the outfield and Lindsay will be critical on defense as she helps to bring along a young catcher.”

That young catcher is first-year varsity starter Samantha Ess, who will attempt to fill the big shoes left by departure of   Jancef behind the plate. Wilson will resort to a three-pitcher rotation for much of the season, with Bryer and Thrush earning   most of the starts and Schultz also seeing time in the circle. Joining Closser in the outfield are two of the team’s younger   players, sophomore Elise Andrews and freshman Rebekah Blasius.

While the chemistry between the pitcher-catcher battery will be a major factor in the Lakewomen’s success, they also feature   a well-rounded group of infielders in Schultz, shortstop Tayler Devole, second baseman Ally Bubar and Alissa DiCesare at first   base.

“We’re pretty solid at each position,” Mahar said. “I really like what I’ve seen so far.”

Meanwhile, Wilson baseball coach Mark Kurtz is expecting his Lakemen to have a solid season in his fourth year at the helm.

With nine returning varsity players and a team of all upperclassmen, he has good reason. “This is the first time this has ever happened for me,” Kurtz said. “In the past, there’s always been freshmen or sophomores starting somewhere. It’s pretty   exciting.”

The Lakemen lost only three players to graduation after finishing 8-6 last year, good for fourth in the Niagara-Orleans league. They are led by senior captains Cameron Sidote, Pat Diez and Brad Schlosser, who’ve all played on varsity for four years.

Sidote, who plays catcher, and Diez, a utility fielder, were named second-team all-league last year. Schlosser, who pitches, was an honorable mention.

Sidote anchors the lineup, batting third. A star running back in the fall, he hits for power and average while providing solid defense behind the plate, Kurtz said.

“He likes baseball better than football,” Kurtz joked. “He hit .385 last year, and I’d guess that he’ll do even better this   year.”

Diez bats second and hit .412 last season. Junior shortstop Mike Thompson, who was second-team all-league while hitting .400   last year, leads off.

“Our team goes as (Mike) goes,” Kurtz said. “He’s a very good all-around player, does and real good job on defense and offensively,   he’s our spark. He’s hitting over .500 so far this year, for power and average. Mike, Pat and Cam are the keys to our offense. With Cam, Mike, Pat and (junior pitcher) Tayler Thilk, we’ve got some big guys who can hit.”

The pitching staff is led by Schlosser, who had a 4-3 record in the league last year and pitched both of the team’s sectional games, including a first round win over Cassadaga Valley. Schlosser threw a no hitter, facing the minimum number of batters as Wilson (3-2) shutout North Tonawanda, 1-0, in a non-league baseball game Thursday morning at Wilson.He struck out eight and walked none. One Lumberjack reached base on an error in the third inning but was caught stealing.

Wilson’s won in a walk off. Senior Pat Diez was hit by a pitch, took second on a pass ball and scored on senior catcher Cameron Sidote’s RBI single in the bottom of the seventh.

Thilk and fellow junior Chris Reid round out the rotation, and Kurtz said Thompson will see time in relief.

“Chris and Brad throw pretty hard,” Kurtz said. “Tayler mixes it up a bit and is pretty good at it. They all have experience   and have been pitching for me since they were freshmen.”

Kurtz pointed out a few other players that have looked good early this season, including senior outfielder Chris Secor, senior   first baseman Tyler Strassburg and junior second basemen Derek Martin.

“He’s come along for us,” Kurtz said of Martin. “He’s been a nice surprise this year, playing solid defense and hitting the   ball very well.”

Kurtz said he’s excited about his team’s potential.

“The expectations are high for these guys,” he said. “It’s a great group of kids and they all get along pretty well and work   hard in practice. They’re learning the game, some of them already know it pretty well, and if they keep working hard they’ll   keep getting better.

“The Niagara-Orleans league is pretty competitive, and we played pretty good last year. It was a long year with so much rain, really a lousy year for baseball. So far, things have been great this year.”

The Lakemen are currently 3-2 overall, including 1-1 in the league.