After the collapse of Babe Ruth Baseball in the winter sent 15-year-old players to the American Legion Powell Pioneers this season, head coach Jason Borders knows this is a season of change for his team.

But with Saturday’s 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. double-header against Laurel (Montana) on the horizon, the goal hasn’t changed for Borders.

“I want to be in the state championship,” said Borders, now in his third season at the helm for Powell. “That’s why we do it.”

Borders’ outlook makes more sense when you consider his team’s final ballgame of 2014 was the state championship against Cody. The Pioneers managed the state berth despite finishing with fewer wins (21) than losses (28). And despite losing seven of eight seniors from last year’s team, coming back from that club is a core of veterans that could help guide young Powell.

Fourth-year player and 19-year-old two-time All-State choice Cory Heny returns to the Pioneers after a big season at the plate and on the mound. Heny finished the year hitting .426 (69 for 162) with eight doubles and eight triples, two home runs, 55 runs scored and 35 driven in. Heny also pitched his way to a 5-5 record in 11 games, posting a 2.21 earned run average while striking out 53 batters in 63.1 innings of work.

Grady Sanders, 18, returns after slugging six homers and 10 doubles while hitting .344 a season ago. His 51 runs batted in paced the team, and Borders is confident the third baseman will do some good things again along with Heny.

“We’ve definitely got some experience in the lineup,” Borders said. “Grady, Cory, Ezra (Andreasen) ... there are some kids on this team that we should be able to count on to hit the baseball.”

Andreason made an impact in limited action last year, collecting 46 at-bats in 16 games and raking at a clip of .326 while driving in 13 runs.

Also returning on the mound for Powell is 18-year-old Matt Brown. Brown was third on the team last season with 58 innings pitched, posting a 4-3 record with 53 strikeouts. His ERA was an efficient 3.13.

Borders’ team features two 15-year-olds, and is made up of only 13 players. That has left the coach to plug new or younger players into new positions, such as 15-year-old Tyler Feller, who is expected to see regular playing time at catcher to start the season.

Still, despite the youth, Heny is hopeful veteran leadership can carry the Pioneers in the season’s early going.

“It’s going to take a while to get used to things ... it’s a bunch of 15-year-olds that are used to being in Babe Ruth,” Heny said. “It’s going to take a while, but I think we’ll be all right; those younger kids are here to learn ... they’re learning quick, they’re listening, they’re picking up on things and they’re already using them which is going to be really good for us.”

Because of his team’s small numbers, Borders said he plans to use a variety of players on the mound over the course of the season. But Brown said that shouldn’t be an issue thanks to what he believes will be one of the team’s strengths.

“Our fielding has been pretty good,” Brown said. “Especially with the young kids stepping up, we’ve had a lot of positions that need to be filled and a lot of kids have stepped up.”

Borders went on to say he expects his team to take its “lumps” early, but he believes the pieces are in place for another successful season.

“Obviously it’s going to be a learning experience for a lot of these kids ... this is probably the youngest team we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Borders said. “But I think at the end of the season we could be a pretty good baseball team.”