Lacrosse will start their Fall Ball season against Madison on Sept. 14. After an upsetting finish in the B-Bracket for the Great Lakes Lacrosse League, the team is looking for better results this season.

Numbers have nearly tripled, with about 20 incoming freshmen going out for the team, coach Matthew Mikulecky said. Almost all of the incomers have played in high school, which will encourage veteran players to work harder for playing time.

The new executive board has been working together in the off season to create a more structured atmosphere for practices throughout the season, president Brent Beveroth, senior, said.

“We’ve been working on the defense to better maximize competition,” Beveroth said. “We’ve switched up positions, and the addition of all the new freshmen has helped.”

The veterans have had to work harder to keep their previous positions because of the new talent brought in, Beveroth said.

Last season saw a lack of commitment from certain players, especially due to frustrations from a losing season, Mikulecky said. Because of the numbers available to the club, competition between players for spots will weed out those who are less committed to playing.

“We hope to make it into the A-Bracket of the GLLL this season, and it looks like we can definitely accomplish that,” Beveroth said.

The Pioneers ended their spring season with a 4-4 conference record, and 4-5 overall record.

The team will only have two weeks of practice behind them when they challenge their rivals, but they will take whatever outcome as a learning experience for the experienced but newly organized team, Mikulecky said.

The team travels to Madison to play their season opener at noon. The Pioneers lost to Madison White 4-13 in their last face-off, and against Madison Black.

“I hope to have a lot more team unity and hard work from week to week, which should be accomplished through the restructured coaching,” Beveroth said.