Not too many people would call a 33-18 season a disappointing one, but to a man most everyone on University of St. Francis' 2009 squad would say that about their season.

USF was coming off a 42-11 season in 2008 that saw the Saints claim the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship and work their way up to a No. 12 national ranking. The Saints had the bulk of their team returning and looked forward to defending their title and qualifying for the NAIA national tournament.

But despite a fine 14-4 start, the Saints hit a couple of road bumps in CCAC play (19-11) and could not finish among the top two teams in the final league standings, a prerequisite for national tournament qualification.

"We were disappointed with our fourth-place finish," said veteran Saints' coach Gordie Gillespie, who is now entering his 58th consecutive year as a collegiate head baseball coach. "But our league was much stronger from top to bottom than it had been in previous years and we finished behind some very good teams."

Those three teams included league champion Saint Xavier and runnerup Purdue North Central - who both advanced to the NAIA national field - and Judson who came from behind to beat the Saints in the season finale and claim third place.

Gillespie, college baseball's all-time winningest coach with a mark of 1,816-922 (.663), again welcomes back a solid corps of veterans but must replace two of his top three hitters from a year ago. Lost to graduation are 2008 NAIA All-America outfielder Dan Higgins (.358, 5 HR, 34 RBI) and first baseman Steve Kehr (.407, 5 HR, 48 RBI).

"I like the talent that we have coming back and feel that we have a handful of newcomers that will make a difference in the coming season," said Gillespie.

Gillespie surpassed the magical figure of 1,800 wins last season and has well over half of those victories - 943 to be exact - during his two tenures with the Saints (1977-95 and 2006-present). He coached the St. Francis 1993 national championship club and also directed Lewis University to three straight NAIA titles from 1974-76. Gillespie will turn 84 years "young" in April and has the same enthusiasm and love for the game that he displayed back in 1953 when he started his baseball coaching career at then Lewis College.

Breaking down the Saints, position-by-position:

Catcher - Senior Pat Grady (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) is the Saints' top returning hitter and run producer. An NAIA honorable mention All-America pick as a sophomore in 2008, Grady hit. 380 as a junior with 3 homers and 45 RBI. He shared the team lead in triples (with Kehr) with 3 and owned the team's top on-base percentage at .457. An outstanding catcher, Grady was charged with only 4 errors on the season and joined Kehr and Higgins as first-team All-CCAC selections. Junior Brent Walters (Lisle H.S./Lisle, IL) will share the catching duties in doubleheaders with Grady this year, replacing the graduated Karl Gotsch who split time with Grady the previous three seasons. Walters appeared in just six games a year ago but is highly regarded by Gillespie and will likely fill the designated hitter role when not catching. Redshirt freshman Mike Nelson (Joliet Catholic Academy/Homer Glen, IL) is the third catcher on the roster. Junior Nick Dziuban (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) will redshirt this season due to injury.

"Catching is a strong suit for us," said Gillespie. "We have good hitters and good receivers on the club and feel very good about our play in that position."

First Base - The task in 2010 is to find a replacement for Kehr, a four-year starter who manned first base for the last three of those four seasons. Gillespie expects to split time at that spot between junior left-handed hitting Shawn Hohenbery (Princeville H.S./Princeville, IL) and freshman Joe Ruge (Riverside- Brookfield H.S./North Riverside, IL). Another prospect at first will be freshman Julius Patterson (Thornwood H.S./Harvey, IL).

"I'm not much of a platoon guy," said Gillespie, "but as we enter the season it is the only way to be fair to these two young men. Both played extremely well in the fall and each of them deserves a chance to play. Hohenbery was one of our best hitters in fall practice and Ruge has shown that he is an outstanding freshman prospect. The ball really jumps off his bat."

Middle Infield - Senior second baseman Steve Witczak (St. Rita H.S./Chicago, IL) and sophomore shortstop David Schwabe (Driscoll Catholic H.S./Wood Dale, IL) gave the Saints a solid pair of middle infielders last year and return again in 2010. Witczak hit .329 as a junior leadoff man and was second on the club with 42 runs scored. He split the starter's role at second as a freshman and was USF's regular shortstop as a sophomore. Schwabe impressed enough as a freshman to earn honorable mention All-CCAC honors. He hit .327 and was charged with just 11 errors in 209 total chances for a .947 fielding percentage. He started all 51 games at short for the Saints in 2009. Others vying for playing time at second base and/or shortstop are sophomore Kyle McManaway (Rich East H.S./Calumet City, IL) and freshmen Michael Witas (St. Laurence H.S./Oak Lawn, IL) and J.T. Blaine (Coal City H.S./Coal City, IL).

"Witczak is one of our top overall players," said Gillespie. "He is a great captain and a good leader on the field. He did a fine job in the leadoff spot last year and I look for big things from him as a senior. Schwabe was a sensational freshman and will continue to get better. He is a very good on-base guy at the plate and will help us in so many ways."

Third Base - Senior Andy Zurales (Lincoln-Way Central H.S./New Lenox, IL) showed steady improvement defensively in his second season at third base last year and will anchor that spot for the Saints once again. A left-handed hitter with power, Zurales hit .318 with a team-high 7 home runs and 41 RBI. A two-sport athlete at USF, Zurales finished his USF football career this past fall as the Saints' starting tight end for the third straight season. Backing up Zurales at the hot corner will be sophomore utility player Jesse Gregurich (Wilmington H.S./Mazon, IL). Gregurich will also see playing time in the outfield and can also play second or short. He hit .243 as a frosh with a homer and 4 RBI.

"When you look at your top three or four players on our club, you have to include Andy Zurales," said Gillespie. "He has a big left-handed bat and will be a strong presence in the middle of our batting order. Gregurich is one of those players that you have to find a spot for in the lineup. We'll use him as a reserve infielder, play him some in left field and use him occasionally as a DH. He has tremendous potential with the bat and will be a big contributor for us before his career is over."

Outfield - Seniors David Heasley (Crystal Lake Central H.S./Spring Grove, IL) and Tom Serruto (Glenbard West H.S./Glen Ellyn, IL) head up the Saints' outfielders. The two shared starting duties in center field a year ago and both should be regulars this season with Serruto sliding over to left field. Heasley hit .328 as a junior and made only 2 errors in center. Serruto hit .312 and scored 41 runs, which placed him third on the team. Sophomore Tom Whelan (St. Rita H.S./Chicago, IL), who redshirted due to injury last year, will take over the right field slot left vacant by the graduation of Higgins. Other outfielders include senior Joe Prohaska (St. Laurence H.S./Chicago, IL), junior Mark Ahern (Homewood-Flossmoor H.S./Homewood, IL), junior Robert DeLong (St. Mary Cathedral H.S./Gaylord, MI) and freshman Andy Tollefson (Newark H.S./Newark, IL). Gregurich will also be a key reserve in the outfield.

"Heasley, Whelan and Serruto give us a lot of speed and good defense in the outfield," said Gillespie. "Heasley is a senior captain and he finished very strong last year after fighting a leg injury in the first few weeks of the season. Serruto played well in the outfield and also served us well as a courtesy runner for our catchers and a pinch-runner when he was not in the lineup. Whelan is a switch hitter that gives us some versatility in our lineup. He is anxious to show us what he can do after missing last season due to a foot injury."

Pitchers - The six lowest earned run averages on last year's staff all return but Gillespie hopes that the experience gained will help lower some of those ERA's.

"Our overall pitching was our biggest disappointment last year and I know that all of our guys want to show a great deal of improvement this season," said Gillespie. "Our team ERA was over five and we have to perform better in that statistic if we are going to achieve our goals this year."

Senior right-handers Joe Koehler (Mount Carmel H.S./Worth, IL) and Brandon Kvistad (Leyden H.S./Northlake, IL) are the most experienced hurlers on the USF staff and both should be in the mix for top spots in the Saints' rotation. They are joined in the hunt for starting rotation spots by juniors David Hexdall (Morris H.S./Morris, IL) and Mitch LaBuda (Downers Grove North H.S./Downers Grove, IL) and sophomores Matt Huck (Marian Central Catholic H.S./McHenry, IL), Eric Zehme (Sandburg H.S./Orland Park, IL) and Steve Kazak (Joliet Catholic Academy/Joliet, IL).

Koehler went 4-1 a year ago with a 3.88 ERA. He made 12 of his 16 appearances out of the bullpen but did fire a pair of complete games in his four starting assignments. Kvistad, an All-CCAC pick after going 8-1 as a sophomore in 2008, finished 6-4 last year with a 4.15 ERA in 12 appearances which included 10 starts. Hexdall made 10 of his 11 appearances out of the pen and was credited with a pair of saves. LaBuda, a lefty, was 1-0 with a pair of starts in six outings. Huck notched a 5-5 mark as a frosh and fired a trio of complete games in his seven starts and 11 overall appearances. Zehme, also a southpaw, was 5-1 and added three complete games and a shutout to his statistical line. Kazak, another lefty, recorded a 3-0 record and a 3.33 ERA after starting five times in six total outings.

"We have seven starters but do have some injuries to take into account," said Gillespie. "Zehme has fought an elbow problem all fall and Kvistad is also a little questionable heading into the spring. But I like our depth and feel that the other starters will give us the base for a good starting staff this season."

The bullpen will be anchored by the trio of junior Will Bausch (Mount Carmel H.S./Chicago, IL) and sophomores Corey Schultz (Kankakee H.S./Kankakee, IL) and Bobby Markatos (Stagg H.S./Palos Hills, IL). Schultz is the most experienced of the three. The big righthander led the staff with 3 saves as a freshman and relieved in 11 of his 12 outings. He established himself as the team's closer midway through the season. Bausch made just one appearance last year and Markatos was a medical redshirt.

"Schultz gained some very valuable experience last year," said Gillespie, "and I really like his control and his command of his pitches. Markatos has an excellent slider and can be effective in a short relief role. Bausch is a hard-working young man who will fill whatever role we ask him to accept."

Other freshman pitchers hoping to gain some experience on the mound this season are southpaws Jacob Schreiber (T.F. South H.S./Lansing, IL), Ryne Gill (Waubonsie Valley H.S./Aurora, IL) and Jacob Evans (Reed-Custer H.S./Wilmington, IL).