Mike Mihalik takes over for his first season as Emmaus' baseball head coach and he's already had some challenges to face.

The opportunities for true practices have been almost nonexistent thanks to winter hanging on longer than Mihalik and his players would have liked. Fortunately for Mihalik, the other teams in the EPC are facing the same challenges, so at least everybody is on the same snowy footing.

"We've had only two days where we've been able to get on a field," said Mihalik. "Both of those days have been where part of the practice we've been doing field work and the other part of the practice where we've actually been able to do something. One of those days we were able to get on the infield and the other, we were able to get on the outfield, so we have yet to be able to use the full field.

"Are we behind? Yeah, we're behind where we all want to be right now, but I think a lot of teams are in the same boat, dealing with bad field conditions. I've been trying to tell the guys, whatever facilities we use, we just have to do the best job possible. We just have to be better at indoor practices than what the other teams are doing."

The early returns on the state of the team are good, from what Mihalik can gauge from their makeshift practices in the high school gym.

The team has already had some games postponed, but its hopeful to finally open the season Wednesday against Bethlehem Catholic. One strength of the team could be the pitching staff, but Mihalik admits that the early postponements could present another challenge for teams this season.

"I like the way that our pitching staff is looking," he said. "I feel pretty confident that they're going to compete. With all of the cancellations, it has the potential to make for a lot of four game weeks, so it really might challenge our depth that we have pitching-wise.

"I like the pitchers that we have, but at the same time, I like the look of our lineup. I think we're going to be able to make some things happen with our lineup. I see a lot of guys with really good speed that can be aggressive that can put some pressure on the defense, so I like our offense, too."

Mihalik takes over a team that finished 12-2 in the LVC and 19-4 overall, reaching the conference finals and the district semifinals. The team lost five everyday players, including league MVP Dan Findlay, in addition to losing two key pitchers in Josh LeMaster and Jack Moore, who combined to win 15 games for the Hornets. There is still plenty of talent left to draw from, including pitchers Joel Bartoni (2-0, 1.53 ERA) and Trey Hinkle (3.34 ERA, two saves). Both Bartoni and Hinkle also chipped in offensively, playing first and third base, respectively.

To fill holes, Mihalik will rely on young players to find a way to contribute to the team right out of the gate. The starting lineup will feature at least two sophomores, while other young players will help round out the pitching staff.

"Our starting shortstop, Eric Cichocki, is a sophomore and we'll have another sophomore starting as an outfielder/DH type of player in Nick Amey," said Mihalik. "Then we've got Todd Moxey, who looks to be a member of our pitching staff and there are a couple of other pitchers that we have who are also sophomores who will get some innings with some spot starts here and there or in a relief role. I actually told the seniors that they need these sophomore guys to grow up. They need these guys to mature and play some baseball if they want to win some championships."

Once the team can officially trade practices in the gym for the dirt and grass of a baseball field, it will be easier to assess just how quick of a start the Mike Mihalik era will have, but for now, it's just a matter of being as ready as they can be to face the season.

"I feel good about where we project eventually," said Mihalik. "I think we have the potential to score some runs and I like our team speed, but I guess it might just take us a little while to fire on all cylinders."