Considering he has never had a losing record since he first started coaching baseball in 1964, Jack Schiestle obviously has known what buttons to push.

So even though the Racine Kiwanis will be without five pitchers who accounted for 15 of the team's 29 victories last season and established run producer Brady Knudsen has moved on, don't bet against Schiestle.

Take last season, when the Kiwanis rebounded from a 2-9 start to go 29-25 and play for the championships of both the Land O' Lakes and Langsdorf leagues.

"We're going to have to take some of this young talent and just bring it along to our line of thinking, which is you go out and you give 100 percent," said Schiestle, who turns 66 June 9. "I want them to just go out and have some fun and see if we can win some games."

When it's all said and done, the Kiwanis should do plenty of that, even with a largely unproven pitching staff and without Knudsen, who either drove in or scored an average of 59 runs a season during his seven-year career.

The Kiwanis' lineup with be loaded with proven offensive threats, starting with leadoff hitter Anthony Porcaro (.270, a team-high 29 walks, 40 runs, 21 RBIs, 9 stolen bases). Porcaro is established at catcher, but will open the season at designated hitter while he rests his sore arm.

Newcomer Steve Bartlein, a second baseman who is in UW-Whitewater's program, will bat second, followed by a group of hitters who won't allow any pitcher to relax.

Batting third is left fielder Blake Pindyck (.319, 24 runs, 23 RBIs), followed by third baseman David Gonzales (.353, 35 runs, 34 RBIs, 15 doubles), shortstop Michael Pena (.305, 28 runs, 21 RBIs), right fielder Danny Henes (.384, 16 runs, 17 RBIs), catcher Joey Gilboy (.275, 11 RBIs), center fielder Jon Paul Cloutier (.323, 31 runs, 21 RBIs) and first baseman Phil Cook, a newcomer.

But that lineup will be flexible. Schiestle will have to make room for first baseman Jake Lueneburg (.350, 32 runs, 20 RBIs), a standout at Somers Shoreland Lutheran High School, and Jason Kezman, a sophomore at Lutheran-Prairie, whom Schiestle considers to be "one of the best young catchers in the area."

Others who will be in the picture are Zach Wisowaty, a shortstop who is hitting above .600 this spring and Charlie James, a catcher who is a junior at Milwaukee University School.

Schiestle's pitching staff will be without ace Kevin Sowinski, who has retired after 15 years. Taking over as the leader of the staff is Dan Burch (7-2, 2.27 earned run average).

"He will definitely be one our highlights as far as pitching goes," Schiestle said.

Phil Gnacinski (4-2, 3.42) is another proven starter.

Schiestle will try to develop depth with Dustin Kollman (0-5, 4.04), the team's only left-hander, Kyle Johnson (1-0, 1.00), Eric Meeusen, Aaron Cikel, Nathan Poelmann and Kyle Kisner.

But for Schiestle, the biggest addition will be having his wife, Marlene, back in the stands, where she had been a fixture since the late 1960s. Marlene underwent treatment for cancer that was diagnosed in January 2008 and missed much of last season. Now cancer-free, Marlene has told her husband she will be back on a full-time basis this summer.

"I'm looking forward to this summer more than I have in a long time,"

Schiestle said.

2009 SCHEDULE

All home games at Horlick Field

May

31 - BUTLER (DH), noon.

June

3 - at Racine Erickson's (Horlick Field), 7 p.m. 6 - GENOA CITY (DH), 1 p.m. 7 - at North Shore (DH), noon. 9 - MILWAUKEE ANGELS, 7:30 p.m. 10 - KENOSHA, 7 p.m. 11 - at West Allis White Sox, 7:30 p.m. 14 - NEW BERLIN (DH), noon. 16 - KENOSHA, 7:30 p.m. 17 - FRANKLIN, 7 p.m. 20 - KENOSHA (DH), 1 p.m. 21 - at Franklin (DH), noon. 23 - BROOKFIELD, 7:30 p.m. 24 - MUSKEGO, 7 p.m. 25 - at Brookfield, 7:30 p.m. 27 - WEST ALLIS WHITE SOX (DH), 1 p.m. 28 - at Waukesha (DH), noon.

July

1 - KENOSHA, 7 p.m. 3 - at West Allis Nationals (DH), 6 p.m. 5 - ERICKSON'S (DH), noon, 7 - at Genoa City, 7:30 p.m. 14 - WEST ALLIS NATIONALS, 7:30 p.m. 15 - ERICKSON'S, 7 p.m. 18 - at Milwaukee Angels (DH), 6 p.m. 19 - at Kenosha (DH), Carthage College, noon. 21 - at Brookfield, 7:30 p.m. 22 - at Muskego, 7 p.m. 26 - vs. Muskego (DH), Echo Park, Burlington, noon.

August

2 at West Allis (DH), noon. 5 - FRANKLIN, 7 p.m. 13 - Land O' Lakes League playoffs.