Apr. 11—BENSON — The Benson baseball team is hoping for an upward trend to continue on.
After a 2-12 finish in the West Central Conference and a 7-14 overall record, the Braves return a solid nucleus of starters who will look to help them be more competitive.
"We have five solid starters coming back," said Benson head coach Tom Foley, who will be assisted by Sam Lenarz and Jason Nichols. "The other four positions we will have guys fighting for the starting spot. Most of the guys who will be on the varsity roster will have started at least one game last year for the varsity team."
Alex Claussen is the Braves' biggest piece back. The senior pitcher/first baseman is a Division III Concordia College-Moorhead commit. He had a 3-5 record with a 4.28 ERA and 64 strikeouts in nine appearances and hit .250 with 10 runs and 10 stolen bases.
Max Nygaard is back at shortstop for Benson. The junior batted .213 with 13 runs and 11 steals.
Noah Goossen, a senior center fielder, will look to lead the Braves in the outfield. He had a team-high .344 batting average last year with 21 hits, all singles.
Grant Gunlogson, a senior catcher, and Landon Skarsten, a junior infielder/pitcher, round out Benson's returning starters.
Gunlogson had a .955 fielding percentage in 155 total chances and batted .190 with five stolen bases and four extra base hits.
Skarsten had a 2-4 record with a 3.54 ERA and 33 strikeouts in four appearances. His batting average was .229.