It's been an exciting year at Normal Community High School and the boys baseball team is hoping to add to the excitement this spring.

The boys' basketball team punched its ticket to the State Farm Center in Champaign Monday for the State Finals and baseball coach Ryan Short says he's got an exciting baseball squad that made some noise last year with almost each impact player returning this year.

Coach Short says his team's success starts with its starting pitching and they have two high-level top-of-rotation starters they can rely on to give them good outings nearly every time they take the ball.

Normal Community also brings back everybody on the infield and its backstop. Coach Short is very excited about the depth of his offense this year.

Coach Short calls standout Ironmen athlete Dexter Niekamp one of the most decorated athletes to ever play at Normal Community and says Niekamp plays on the basketball team and credits his commitment to each sport he plays and anticipates him jumping right into baseball next week when he comes out to play.

]Coach Short notes, other than Niekamp, they do not have any baseball players that play basketball so they have had everyone at practice the first few days of the practice season. He adds it has been interesting to juggle baseball and basketball the last few weeks but the excitement has made it worth it. 

Normal Community opens the baseball season next Thursday hosting Metamora.