In his 12 years as head coach of Liberty's baseball program, not much has changed for head coach Andy Pitsilos. The players may come and go, but the expectations always stay the same.

"Our goals never change," Pitsilos said. "We want to win our division, win our league and win the district championship."

That pretty much sums it up and the Hurricanes are off to a good start, sitting at 2-0 following a 12-10 victory over Wilson West Lawn and last week's 7-1 win over LVC and division rival Bethlehem Catholic.

After a 15-7 record a year ago, which saw the 'Canes exit from the District 11 tournament following a 4-1 quarterfinal defeat to eventual district champion Parkland, many of the challenges remain the same this year.

A loaded LVC returns with league contenders Emmaus and Whitehall, along with the Hurricanes, but Parkland returns as the clear front-runner to defend their district crown.

Some of the key returnees for Liberty this season include Tyler Lutseo (1B/3B ), Matt Unangst (2B/OF), Tom Epsaro (SS/OF .317 AVG) Robert Mercado (3B), Mike Horvath (P), Tyler Erney (OF), Matt Leon (4-0 Rec, 0.25 ERA) and Abner Santana (C).

Like any season, pitching is key and the Hurricanes have a mixture of talent on the mound this season.

"Our pitching staff is made up of veterans and younger guys this year," Pitsilos said. "Matt Leon and Mike Horvath are the veterans. Mike John, Mike Krawchuck, Ben Hudock, and Alexis Calderon are the teams newcomers."

Leon showed his worth in the win over Becahi last week, striking out 11 en route to getting the victory.

The Hurricanes need similar efforts like that on the mound this week, as they take on two of the aforementioned LVC contenders, with Emmaus on Wednesday and Whitehall on Friday.

"This team plays good defense, hits spot pitching, hits well and is intelligent on the bases," he said of this year's roster. "We need to settle in and play good baseball as early as possible. Our message to the guys is to never be satisfied."