New Richmond’s Dalton Henderson is one of the Lions best returning hitters as well as the team’s starting catcher. He is one of seven seniors on the roster.
New Richmond’s Dalton Henderson is one of the Lions best returning hitters as well as the team’s starting catcher. He is one of seven seniors on the roster.

By Chris Chaney
Sun staff

Winners of at least a share of the last three Southern Buckeye Conference American Division titles and owners of a pair of sectional championships in the last two years, the New Richmond baseball team entered the 2015 season with a strong pedigree.

However, the graduation of seven seniors from last year’s 25-6 (9-1) squad has left head coach Brian Benzinger trying to fill in some holes with new faces.

“The seven seniors we lost to graduation were tough to let go — that was a very special class — but we do have some kids that are seniors this year, last year’s juniors, that are back,” he said. “Dalton Henderson is a returning starter from last year that will catch for us; Daman Abner is back playing first base; Austin Fischer was one of our leading hitters last year and he’s back. Alex Sharp and Jacob Carnahan got some playing time last year as juniors and Steven Wolf was one of our pitchers.”

In all, adding Jacob Craig, the Lions have a roster led by seven seniors once again. A junior class of six headed up by returning starter Nick Laub will inherit the program next year with a pair of freshmen in Brett Benzinger and Lane Flamm being looked to as faces of the future.

As for the present, the Lions are off to an 8-3 start (2-2 in the SBC) thanks in large part to a pitching rotation that enjoys a healthy amount of competition due to the lack of a true ace.

“We lost our aces, let’s make that clear. Our two best pitchers are gone,” Benzinger said. “We had two pretty special guys on the mound (in Levi Simpson and Chris Lawrence), but this year, it seems to be a pitching-by-committee type of year.

“We’re going game-by-game. It’s not who’s pitching today, it’s what three pitchers are pitching today.”

Craig, Wolf, Carnahan and Sharp are four of the more reliable arms that Benzinger said will begin games for New Richmond with Laub and Flamm adding some depth.

With the uncertainty on the mound, the Lions have used their prowess at the plate to their advantage, scoring more than six runs per game on average.

“Dalton Henderson and Daman Abner are our two biggest offensive threats if you look at what they did last year. Jacob Carnahan is a nice offensive weapon and you can’t forget Austin Fischer who was one of the leading hitters average-wise last year,” Benzinger said. “Really, we’re hoping for contributions out of everybody. We’re looking for production out of our freshmen as well and production from other guys who might be coming off the bench.”

As the Lions settle into more of a routine with the weather beginning to cooperate, both the team and the fans are looking for another banner season from the boys in black and red.

“When you talk about New Richmond baseball, one of the first goals we have is to win the league,” Benzinger said. “It seems like we’ve been successful in that more often than not.”

“(This season), Goshen and Amelia and Batavia and Western Brown, every game against them could go either way. Goshen, on paper, is probably the favorite to win (the SBC) just because of their pitchers, but we’re going to be fighting for it. We hope to be in the conversation and at the end of the year, we’re hoping our games then are meaningful ones.”

In order to ensure meaning in those late-season contests, the Lions will need to continue their solid start. Games against Clermont Northeastern, Talawanda, Williamsburg, Batavia, Amelia, Norwood and St. Henry all litter New Richmond’s schedule over the next nine days.

For a full schedule and roster, log on to the Lions’ athletic website at nrschools.org/athletics.