SACO — The Thornton Academy baseball team will look to make a deep postseason run this spring, and have brought in a mix of veteran players and youngsters to do so.

Despite losing ace pitcher and No. 3 hitter Ben Lambert, who went to play college ball for Assumption, the Trojans believe they have the talent to fill the void while also plugging in gaps left by other departing seniors.

“One of the focuses has been trying to replace Benny obviously — whether it be three or four guys to do so,” said TA coach Greg Paradis. “I don’t think we can replace that caliber of player since he’s a once in a career type guy but we have a lot of young players, the sophomore class is strong, so hopefully those guys can fill those shoes.”

Although the newcomers will be relied on heavily at times, TA also boasts a strong core of upperclassman, including players like Evan Balzano, Chase Wescott and Brandon Hall. TA also has returning impact players such as Luke Chessie and Brogan Searle-Belanger to bolster this deep lineup.

Paradis likes what he has on paper, and has been impressed with the leadership the older players have demonstrated early on in spring training.

“We’ve got a pretty good nucleus of seniors who are coming back — I’ve been away from the team for seven years and coming back the team is in dynamite shape,” said Paradis. “There’s a lot of depth, our seniors really started that, a lot have been playing since their freshman year. They’ve shown tremendous leadership and have been in the program for a long time.”

Despite the roster turnover, there will be some continuity in the TA lineup, including returning pitchers and the same infield as the 2016 season. Paradis expects big things from the bunch, and feels that the Trojans can field a top-notch unit.

“We have some pitchers returning, we’re also getting our whole infield back so our infield play should be strong. From what I’ve seen there are some really talented kids … that’s as talented of an infield as I have coached,” said Paradis.

With the regular season around the corner, the Trojans’ staff will look to put the finishing touches on the roster, and find fits for each of its players. Considering the experience and amount of playing time throughout the years, and Trojans are confident that the new-look club can transition seamlessly into the 2017 year.

“I don’t think it’ll be very difficult — the guys have played a lot of baseball together in the offseason, they’ve played a lot of baseball against each other,” said Paradis. “I don’t think it’s going to be difficult to blend.”

— Associate Sports Editor Alex Sponseller can be reached at asponseller@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.