In 2012 the Defiance High School baseball team ...

• Finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the state in Division II by the Ohio Baseball Coaches Association.

• Tied the record for most wins in a season with 30, finishing the year 30-2 overall.

• Captured its sixth consecutive Western Buckeye League championship and extended its unbeaten streak in league play to 59 games.

• Extended its streak of non-losing seasons to 32, with the last losing campaign coming in 1980.

Let by WBL Player of the Year, Division II District Player of the Year and Ohio Division II Player of the Year Anthony Kidston and a group of seven talented seniors, the Bulldogs came up one game short of advancing to state for the fourth time in school history after falling to league rival Wapakoneta in the regional championship.

Kidston (9-0, 0.57 ERA, 121 Ks, 13 walks, .402, 4 home runs, 38 RBI, 44 runs, 27 stolen bases), the staff ace who also played center field, has moved on to the University of Louisville. Also lost to graduation is shortstop Jacob Moore (.333, 23 RBI, 18 stolen bases), catcher Joe Gentile (.374, 35 RBI, 34 runs, 18 stolen bases) center fielder Shea Murray (.392, 22 RBI, 19 stolen bases), pitcher Tyler Batt (8-0, 0.73 ERA), pitcher Taylor Cooper (1-0, 0.58 ERA) and DH Nick Vittorio (.200).

Head coach Tom Held, entering his 15th season in the dugout with the Bulldogs, know that his team lost a lot of talent, but he also knows that the cupboard is far from bare. Held also knows that no matter who is on the roster, the expectations are always going to be high.

"Expectations are the same as they have been for my 15 years here, and the many years before that under coach (Greg) Inselmann," Held said. "We really don't talk about goals, but we expect to compete for a league title and hopefully make a tournament run. Yes, the expectations are always high, but we wouldn't want it any other way. The kids that play baseball here work their tails off and because they have, we've had many successes."

Held does welcome back a group of six lettermen, led by senior right-handed pitcher Rob Zieger. Also back is junior second baseman/shortstop Austin Hancock, senior left fielder Dom Romero, senior left-handed pitcher Weston Rivers, senior catcher Joe Keween and junior third baseman Dom Gentile. The DHS mentor will also count on a large number of newcomers this spring, that helped the Bulldogs capture their eighth ACME state championship over the summer.

"I have to give a lot of credit to our current players, the alumni, the coaches ... everyone understands that no one is bigger than the program," said Held. "We've all bought into it and that gives me all the confidence in the world that the guys on this year's team will continue the tradition of Defiance baseball. We have 10 seniors, and not all of them are going to start, but everyone will have a role, and everyone on this roster knows they're here to help this program."

Ziegler (first team WBL, first team district, first team state, University of Kentucky signee) will be counted on to lead an inexperienced pitching staff after finishing 9-2 with a 1.13 ERA a season ago. The righty struck out 87 batters in 62 innings pitched with 27 walks. At the plate, Ziegler broke the school record with 45 RBI while hitting .442 with seven home runs and 22 runs scored while finishing with a slugging percentage of .811.

"The year he had last year will be tough to top," said Held about Ziegler. "Not only did he put up incredible numbers at the plate, but he was 9-2 on the hill. We don't need him to put too much pressure on himself to think he has to carry us, because we've got guys who can get the job done. This past summer proved that when he wasn't able to throw very much and we won state ACME."

Rivers (3-0, 0.32 ERA, Lincoln Trail Junior College signee) will give Defiance a potent 1-2 punch at the top of the pitching staff, while several candidates will compete for innings for DHS. Rivers finished 9-2 this past summer during the ACME season.

"Weston is looking really good, he's gained some velocity over the winter, he's gotten into better shape and he's worked hard than he ever has in his life," said Held about his No. 2 hurler. "This is his senior year and you can tell he wants to make the most of it. He's really matured and has learned how to prepare to play this game."

Adding depth to the pitching staff will be Ethan Willitzer (senior, 5-1 ACME), Derek Turner (soph.), Mazen Kanouh (senior), Hancock, Gentile, Jacob Green (junior) and Austin Yant (senior). "We have a lot of arms, but not a lot of experience other than Robbie and Weston," Held said. "We're going to find out quickly who can step up and be our top four or five guys. It's a nice problem to have eight guys competing for those spots, and if we're healthy we'll be good."

While catcher, third base, shortstop, left field and first base will be held down by returning lettermen, there are plenty of battles going on at other positions for playing time. Held does like his team's speed and defense, and a lack of team power will have the Bulldogs doing what they can to manufacture runs in 2013.

"At the top of the order we have guys who can run, and overall I think our team speed is as good as we've had," said Held. "Austin, Dom (Gentile) and Adam Schaffer can all steals bases, and if they got on they can help us wreak havoc. We also have four guys who can swing it from the left side in Weston, Adam, Dom (Romero) and Joe Keween, which is something we've never had.

"In the middle of the order we've got Robbie, Derek Turner is really looking good, Dom Romero, and Joe Keween will be there, we like the balance we have there," continued Held. "We're kind of banged up at the bottom of the order right now, but we've still got a lot of guys that are fighting for positions. Right now, we've got 13 to 14 guys that could win a job in our batting order."

Although it's never discussed, Defiance's winning streak in the WBL could be in jeopardy in 2013. With Wapakoneta returning most of its club that finished as D-II state runners-up, including its top two pitchers, with Shawnee having one of the best pitchers in the league and with teams like Bath, St. Marys and Celina returning talent, winning the league won't be an easy task.

"We play the best teams we can play and our league is going to be something else this year," said Held. "Wapakoneta has to be the favorite with the return of all that talent, including its top two pitchers in Johnny Crawford and Chace Culver. Shawnee, with Cory Wilder and Tyler Anderson pitching, will be tough to beat, and those two teams, on paper, probably have a better 1-2 than we do. We feel ours are as good as anyone's, but outside the program people might not feel that way.

"Bath has the Gossard (Colin) kid who could be the next big name pitcher next year out of the WBL and St. Marys, Celina and Ottawa-Glandorf have talent. St. Marys finished second in the league last year, Celina, to me, is a sleeper, and O-G has a lot back. It's going to fun."