When the men’s baseball team takes the field on March 25 in its season opener against Hamilton Heights, the team will be under different leadership than in previous seasons.

During the off-season the team replaced interim head coach Jay Lehr with former Lawrence Central coach Dan Roman.  Roman, the long-time Lawrence Central coach, won a 4A State championship and Coach of the Year Award in 2004. Roman also compiled a 322-171 win-loss record and led Lawrence Central to three consecutive Marion County second place championships.

“I bring a winning tradition and outstanding leadership to this fine school,” Roman said. “I know how to run a program from top to bottom and understand that the freshman are as important to the program as the seniors.”

While Roman brings the knowledge of these championship wins to Carmel, he will be coaching in a program that has not won a Sectional title since 2000 and last made an appearance in the State title game in 1997. Although the team has not met its expectations in recent years, Conner McGeehan, baseball player and junior, believes that can all change this year.

McGeehan, who played on the junior varsity team during his freshman and sophomore years,  moved up to varsity during his junior year and has had a lot of experience with the Carmel program.

“Over the past few years nobody has feared us or seen us as a threat,” McGeehan said. “However, Roman is definitely planning on changing that this year. We have a lot of talent and a great group of guys who are going to be able to put it all together.”

One of the ways McGeehan said Roman will help start to turn the program around is the mindset and attitude he will expect from his players.

“Roman has already begun to mature us as baseball players,” McGeehan said. “He has nailed into our heads that it is unacceptable for our team not to be a State powerhouse.”

Ryan Campbell, baseball player and junior, like McGeehan, has also been a part of the Carmel program for the last three years and has endured the losing seasons. However, Campbell also believes Roman has what it takes to turn the program around and says it starts with the mental approach.

“Roman’s going to be focused on the mental side of baseball and winning because we have the talent to go pretty far,” Campbell said.

While both players believe Roman will help improve the mental attitudes of the men’s baseball team, they also think additional training and practice will contribute to bringing success. The team started officially practicing on March 11, but team members were busy participating in off-season team training and individual training all year long.

“As a team we’ve had a lot of conditioning in order to make our bodies as well as our minds strong,” Campbell said. “I specifically have been working on getting stronger in areas I need to as well as refining my pitching mechanics.”

Campbell has been playing on varsity for the men’s baseball team since his sophomore year and gained recognition for his play when he signed to the University of Pittsburgh to play baseball. According to McGeehan, because of Campbell’s all-around competitive nature and baseball talent he will be viewed as a leader this season.

“Ryan brings confidence to the rest of the team when he is on the (pitcher’s) mound,” McGeehan said. “I think most of the underclassmen look up to Campbell for his hard work, leadership and just being an all-around winner.”

Campbell says that he will try to set the best example he can and bring the right mindset to the team. “My main role on the team is to be a consistent starter and to be able to be counted on in difficult games,” Campbell said. “I’m just going to try and be the best example I can for the team so the other players can follow the same mindset.”

Because of the new acquisition of Roman and the talent the team possesses this year, the members of the men’s baseball team have set high expectations for themselves this year. Whether it’s meeting individual or team expectations, both Campbell and McGeehan are excited to be a part of the complete turnaround of the Carmel baseball program.

“My goals are to win the Sectional championship and go deep into the State tournament,” McGeehan said. “I want to surprise all those who think we’re going to be another sub .500 disappointment team.”