Aiden Swenson and Carter Bowen will return for their senior year with the Dawson-Boyd baseball team to help lead a youth-heavy squad.

Swenson, a centerfielder, is entering his third season as a varsity starter. While he certainly brings experience to the table, that’s far from all he provides. Last season, he batted .381 while and put together a team-high 1.143 OPS. His seven doubles, 12 RBIs and 14 stolen bases are all team-highs among returners.

Bowen is going into his first season as a starter but has shown promise as a corner infielder and could make a big leap forward this season.

Tygan Long and Blake Thompson lead the Blackjacks’ pitching rotation. Thompson has looked hot to start 2023 on the mound and is coming off a solid sophomore season last year. He pitched 37 1/3 innings last season with 26 strikeouts and a 4.88 earned run average. As a batter, he put together a .298 average and .794 OPS while stealing 10 bases.

Long had a 3.42 ERA his freshman year while striking out 18 batters in 30 2/3 innings pitched. He also has defensive chops when he’s not on the mound as he can play second or third base.

Nathan Hansen is a player that head coach Daren Swenson sees as having the potential to take a big leap forward. The freshman shortstop and pitcher put together some quality innings on varsity at the end of last season and could certainly build on it this year. He also has shown some leadership skills with the underclassmen, coach Swenson said.

One thing that the team is trying to keep in mind this year is to be like a goldfish: forget its mistakes and move on.

“The biggest thing is we’re always moving to the next page,” coach Swenson said. “It’s about playing the game instead of thinking about the game. They play a lot better this way.”

Alongside Aiden Swenson, Grayson Olson and Beau Johnson will start in outfield for the Blackjacks. The way the team communicates defensively is one of its better strengths, coach Swenson said, and they’ll look to use that communication to minimize errors.

Dawson-Boyd is also a versatile team. Coach Swenson praised his players’ willingness and capability to move around the field and playing different positions as needed.

Johnson and Olson are far from just good defensive players, though. Olson put together a .367 on-base percentage last season and is looking to continue to grow this year. Johnson got limited varsity playing time last season but made the most of his two plate appearances by hitting a single in one of them.

Dawson-Boyd has played two games to start the season, losing 7-6 to Central Minnesota Christian before defeating Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 6-3 on Tuesday. They’ll get back in action Friday when they go to Cottonwood to face off against Lakeview.