Ryan LaThorpe already has the force out on Seth Anderson, of Wenatchee Valley, and makes a successful throw to Jordan Arukawa at first for a double play during their game Saturday. World Photo by Lou Sennick.

A very young Southwestern Oregon Community College baseball team has gotten off to a rocky start under new head coach Daniel Esposito.

But Esposito sees a lot of promise in his team, which still is seeking its first win with NWAACC South Region play starting a week from today.

“We have a lot of freshmen that are getting their first college experience — kind of getting thrown into the heat of the action,” Esposito said. “It’s been an eye-opening experience for them.”

Few players returned from last year’s team, which has left Esposito with a lineup that often includes all freshmen.

Former coach Corky Franklin had reached the six-year limit for teaching as a visiting or adjunct instructor and was not hired when the college created a new tenure-track position.

Franklin, who had hoped to return, said he was told by school officials his master’s degree — from a school specializing in distance learning programs — was not acceptable for the position. He has moved on to take an assistant coaching position in Washington.

Esposito, who had been an assistant coach at both Pittsburg State University and Johnson County Community College before coming to Southwestern, has tried to encourage his young players that things will get better after the Lakers’ 0-13 start that came against many of the top teams in NWAACC.

“All I’ve tried to do is stay positive with these guys and say, ‘Hey, there’s better days ahead. We’ve just got to keep working,’” he said.

Among the setbacks have been two losses to Columbia Basin, which sports a 14-1 record this season, and three to Wenatchee Valley, which Esposito said is the best team Southwestern has faced.

On Sunday, the Lakers were swept by Lower Columbia (10-3), but they came closest to a win in the nightcap of that doubleheader, when they had a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning.

“We’ve slowly gotten better through the first two weeks of the season,” Esposito said. “There are some signs that we may be able to compete in the South Region. We just had a fairly severe learning curve early.”

Esposito has been delighted by the competitive nature of his team.

“Though it’s been tough early, we feel we’re going to get over the hump and get some things going in our favor,” he said. “We have some players that have some ability. They just need to gain a little gamesmanship and apply their skills to the game.”

To date, Kris Boele has been the team’s top pitcher and Nik Keahdi has been the most consistent hitter, while playing both catcher and third base.

Brookings-Harbor graduate Ryan LaThorpe also has had a good start to his college career, Esposito said.

Among returning players, pitcher Brad Parker has seen the most action, while shortstop Jeremy Graves also had been expected to contribute, but suffered a knee injury.

“We’ve got freshmen at every position,” Esposito said. “The level of experience that we’re gaining is unmatched. The only problem with that is it doesn’t help you the year you are getting experience.”

The Lakers are scheduled to host the University of Oregon club team for a doubleheader on Saturday, then face that same team in Eugene for another twin bill on Tuesday. League play starts a week from today against Linn-Benton in Coos Bay.