Ashton Gerard/MDN Minot High’s Alex Schimke slides into home during a Class A baseball game last season.

There aren’t too many unfamiliar faces in the Magicians’ lineup.

The Minot High School baseball team ended last season with a stellar 23-7 record and a fourth-place finish at state. Now, the team is locked and loaded with a veteran squad eager to find its way back to the big stage. The Magi are returning seven of their starting nine, and the season opener can’t come soon enough.

“I think we have a nice core to work around,” MHS head coach Pete Stenberg said. “We have a lot of bodies and a lot of work to do. We’re going to be fairly solid, and we’re excited to get this season rolling.”

Not all of last year’s key contributors are back in the mix, though. Minot High is without pitcher Carson Tonini.

The then-senior dominated the field last season, posting a perfect 6-0 record in seven appearances. Tonini led the Magi in innings pitched (36), ERA (0.78) and strikeouts (53) to earn All-WDA honors. In addition to doing damage on the mound, the senior hit a .404 average and recorded a team-leading 31 RBIs.

Replacing Tonini will be a group effort rather than a quick fix, says Stenberg.

“We did lose a couple of wins off the mound from last year,” Stenberg said. “So we’re going to have to replace that. We’re really going to have to emphasize throwing strikes with our younger kids and the guys that are coming back. The main idea is to throw it over the plate and force (the other team) to hit it.”

Aiding in that mission is a pitching core that doesn’t lack experience.

Senior Alex Schimke, senior Kyler Stenberg, senior Blake Smith, junior Derek Nygaard and junior Dylan Vigested all pitched for the Magi last season. They’ll all look to not only contribute on the bump but also lead the younger players and pass down some wisdom along the way.

“I think it’s important to lead these young guys and show them how we do things,” Schimke said. “It’s good to get them going and help them get adjusted to our system.”

One of those younger guys is Chase Burke. The then-freshman, who is also a standout wrestler for the Magi, didn’t play too much for the team last year.

But the left fielder has since made strides both at the plate and on the defensive end, giving him a considerable niche role on the team.

It’s players such as Burke that could be a difference maker for a Minot team that hopes to get everyone on its roster involved.

“I think it’s nice to see,” Kyler Stenberg said. “Not only are we going to have older guys step up, but we’re going to have some young guys help the program out too. That’s important.”

Also important is the first stretch of games for the Magi, as they’ll kick off the regular season today with a doubleheader against Grand Forks Central at Corbett Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Next for Minot will be another doubleheader at the Hoeven Baseball Park against Grand Forks Red River on Saturday starting at noon, giving the Magi four home games to find their rhythm before they begin West Region play.

“I think it’s huge to be able to play this early and get some non-conference games in before the counters that we have coming up,” Kyler Stenberg said. “Just to be able to build some confidence at-bat and also get some arms warmed up the hill will be good.”

It’s these early games that the Magi will look to use to build some steam, as they try to repeat last season’s postseason success.

“I think (the bar) is high,” Schimke said. “Last year we lost in the state semis, so we know what we have to do to get back there and we’re hungry to get back there. It’ll be an excited season.”

Justin Martinez covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JTheSportsDude.