As the Michigan City Lakers enter their first year in the Midwest Collegiate League, they have every intention of being in contention for a league title.

Manager Tim Jahnz and recruiting coordinator  Rich Bafia have put together a roster that they believe is ready to compete right away in their first go-around of MCL baseball.

“Unless the (Southland) Vikings have that unbelievable hitting machine again, we’re going to be really competitive,” Jahnz said. “I hope you can call our guys that unbelievable hitting machine this year. There’s not a question in my mind that we can be competitive in the MCL, and we’ve always tried to be classy, too.”

The front end of the rotation will include Bobby Humphreys of Indiana University. His fastball is in the upper 80s with crafty breaking pitches. He has good control and seldom issues bases on balls.

“He has a cool head and a great demeanor for a successful pitcher,” Jahnz said. “He’s 6-foor-4 and still growing. He has a long way to grow.”

Casey Young is also back on the Michigan City staff and will start select MCL games after going 9-0 with an 0.73 ERA a year ago.

William Woods University’s Kyle Marburger will be called upon regularly as a starting pitcher. The Owls completed a successful season at 39-14 overall and made an appearance in the NAIA National Tournament. Marburger went 3-3 with a 3.98 ERA while appearing in 10 games and making eight starts.

Former DuPage County Hounds pitchers Adam Dressler and Christian Bokich have joined the Lakers. Dressler just completed his sophomore season at Purdue and touches 90 mile per hour territory with his fastball. Bokich is at Miami of Ohio but is looking to transition elsewhere.

“He’d like to stay D-I, and everything I saw out of him was all about D-I,” Jahnz said. “He was nasty, and he was making the glove sing. He’s young and strong.”

Collin Armold, Jake Povlock, Aery Pratt, Jim Catanzarite and Tom Fitzgerald will all fill roles on the Lakers pitching staff.

Valparaiso University recruit Scott Kapers could be used out of the bullpen as a closer. However, Kapers’ most important role will come in the heart of the Lakers order. The Mount Carmel High School senior blew Jahnz away when the Lakers manager threw batting practice to him this offseason.

“Certain guys make a certain kind of sound when they hit the baseball,” Jahnz said. “It has a certain quality; you can’t describe it, but you know it when you hear it. That’s what we got with Scotty Kapers. I’m real high in anticipation of his caliber of play. I’m really excited to see him come in.”

As always, Jahnz expects quality production out of middle of the order fixture Jerry Hodges. Colin Willis of Purdue North Central will be another important piece of the Michigan City lineup. Willis led the Panthers with a .364 batting average to go along with five home runs and 23 RBIs in 47 games.

Versatile speedster Judah Zickafoose of Arizona Western College will see time in both the outfield and infield. Devin Bafia posted an incredible .505 on-base percentage in 34 games as a freshman at Prairie State.

In addition, the Lakers have welcomed Tom Bell and Tom Fitzgerald from the Australian Baseball League. In return for hosting the pair this summer, the Lakers will send two players to Australia to play during the U.S. winter months.

“It’s a culture change,” Jahnz said. “Baseball is growing there at a rapid pace, and here it’s falling off by 20 percent a year. We’ve got to fix something over here.”

The Lakers host their first-ever Midwest Collegiate League games against the Lexington Snipes in a doubleheader on Saturday, May 30 at 1 p.m.