Sitting in the middle of the pack has never really suited Franklin baseball coach Lance Marshall and his teams — so after two seasons of squeaking into the HCAC tournament as the sixth and final seed, the Grizzlies are eager to move on up, Jeffersons style, back into the conference's penthouse.

With five of the top six hitters from last year's lineup returning, as well as an influx of new talent from both the freshman class and the transfer portal, Franklin believes it has the right keys on the chain to do so.

"We return quite a bit of experience, although they're still young for the most part," Marshall said. "I think with the development of some of our young players from previous years, along with the addition of some newcomers, we have a chance to compete at a really high level."

"We have the stuff this year," agreed senior captain Garrett DeHart, who batted .311 last season with eight home runs, 45 RBIs and 21 stolen bases.

Some of that stuff was already in the dugout. Sophomore Josh Girvan made an immediate splash for the Griz, hitting a team-best .351 and leading the NCAA in stolen bases per game (a school-record 47 thefts overall). Ian Nuckles, Dyllan Redmon and Nic Deering are also returning after strong 2025 seasons at the plate.

Franklin has some more holes to fill on the mound, where only one healthy starting pitcher (Luke Harmon) is back from last season, but some injured arms should be back at full strength — and the staff is being bolstered in a major way by the addition of transfers Chase Wagner (Ball State) and Davis Wagner (Augusta).

Davis Wagner should also figure in the lineup when he's not throwing; Chase Wagner was a high school teammate of Girvan's at nearby Zionsville High School, where he once struck out current Detroit Tigers prospect Max Clark during a game at Victory Field.

Another transfer, local product Drew Helton, figures to slot in at a corner infield slot after batting .294 at Purdue Fort Wayne last spring.

Marshall is excited about what those more seasoned new arrivals can bring to the team, as well as how they've fit in with the rest of the squad during the offseason.

"Our captains have done a great job of bringing them into the fold," Marshall said. "It's a little bit different when you bring in transfers that have been at other places, and they bring varying degrees of experience with them. I think they've done a really nice job of bonding together; it's a really close-knit group already after roughly five, six months on campus. They're working really hard, they enjoy being around each other, they enjoy working next to each other, so I'm real excited to see what kind of product we can put on the field."

That product will be on display this weekend as the Grizzlies open the season in Memphis, Tennessee at the Rhodes Classic. Franklin was tied for third in the HCAC preseason coaches' poll, but Marshall isn't putting too much stock in that one way or the other.

"It only matters where we finish in the standings," he said. "The guys have put in the work. They deserve to have a great season, and I'm excited to see where they go. There's no question the talent's there, the work ethic is there. Just have to make things go right on the field."

Count DeHart among those ready to make sure they do.

"We're pretty confident, excited and geared up, ready to go this year," the senior added. "Everything's clicking ... just being able to be resilient and just being together as a team and doing our job specifically is what's going help us win games."