The Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) baseball team begins the 2019 season with a doubleheader against Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa (NOCT) today at Tonkawa, Okla.

The Bears will remain in Tonkawa and play NOCT in a doubleheader Feb. 16.

"We're excited to get going," DMACC baseball coach David Pearson said. "They guys have been working hard. We've got a lot of guys back from last year who had a little taste of success at the end of last year and are excited to keep the momentum going forward."

The Bears are coming off a 28-28 season in 2018 with a 10-16 mark in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC). DMACC capped the season by advancing to the championship game of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XI Baseball Tournament where the Bears dropped a 10-2 decision to Kirkwood Community College (KCC).

Pearson said top pitching candidates this season include sophomores Nate Holliday of Muscatine, Spencer Hanson of West Des Moines, Henry Ristvedt of Savage, Minn., Chris Witzke of Humboldt, Thomas Bruchu of Stillwater, Minn., Jackson Uner of Maplewood, Minn., and Jakob Richardson of Cave Creek, Ariz.

Pearson said he has a good group of young freshmen pitchers led by Logan Ymker of Sioux Falls, S.D. He said Will Moritz of West Des Moines has stood out as a freshman along with Keaton Duckett of Johnston. Other freshmen getting a look as pitchers include Nathaniel Gorczyca of Omaha, Neb., Carter Troncin of Urbandale and Garret Reisz of Council Bluffs.

"Some of our freshmen are pretty good," Pearson said.

Catching prospects include sophomores Tavian Gillette of Rock Island, Ill., Morgan Holmes of Minneapolis, Minn., and freshman Elijah Rude of Hudson, Wis. Pearson said Gillette is nursing a broken hand and will miss a portion of the early season and that freshman Dayne Leonard of Spring Green, Wis., a catcher and infielder, is also out with a broken hand.

"We were hoping to have him do some good things for us,"  Pearson said of Leonard.

Around the infield, Pearson said sophomore Roman Vega of Buffalo, Minn., and Troncin are competing at third base and that shortstop is wide open. Candidates include sophomore Jacob Pinkerton of Beatrice, Neb., freshman Thomas Mahoney of Des Moines, freshman Matthew McGinley of Stillwater, Minn., and freshman Isaac Nelson of Sioux Falls, S.D.

Pearson said second base is a battle between sophomore Denver Blinn of West Fargo, N.D., and freshman Ben Bryant of Fargo, N.D., and that sophomore Jack Johnson of St. Paul, Minn., has all but nailed down first base.

Sophomore Evan Salmon of Urbandale and freshman Grant Bohling of Lincoln, Neb., are the top candidates in left field and sophomore Calen Schwabe of Thompson, N.D., and freshman Dylan Voves of Mason City are being looked at in center field. Sophomore Austin Murr of Stillwater, Minn., has been tabbed to play right field with freshman Jonas of Fargo, N.D., and sophomore Misael Sanchez of Allentown, Penn., serving as the backups.

"I think we're deeper than we've been in my three years here," Pearson said. "We've got guys who are committed to the process and have a will to get better every day. We'll try to create some pressure running and we've got some guys that have some good power."

Pearson said his concerns are having someone step up to solidify the shortstop position and having his catchers stay healthy.

"We've got a group thats excited to get the season going and keep the Bears tradition of getting back to championship games going," Pearson said.