Another season of Missouri Baptist University men's lacrosse is right around the corner with this Saturday's contest at NCAA Division III Fontbonne University serving as the season opener for the 2019 campaign. It will be a chilly one at Clayton High School's Gay Field as the forecast currently shows 33º and mostly sunny for gametime at 2 p.m.
 
Several storylines surround the Spartans as the program heads into its 12^th season with head coach Andy Joly at the helm. Coming off of an 8-4 season in 2018 and just missing out on a bid to the NAIA National Invitational, Joly needs just two more wins to hit the 100-win milestone for his career.
 
Missouri Baptist enters the year ranked just outside of the NAIA Men's Lacrosse Coaches' Preseason Top 10 Poll. The Spartans were first among teams receiving votes with 25 points and unofficially ranked 11^th in the NAIA.
 
As for the team, the Spartans bring back several starters and key contributors from last year, but will be looking to replace their top two scorers in Austin Dahl (38 goals, 11 assists) and Devin Mayer (23 goals, 10 assists) as well as a top defenseman in Jake DeBeir (23 caused turnovers).
 
Among the key returners is NAIA Second-Team All-American and senior captain Garett McKelvie. Last year, the long stick middie from Windsor, Ontario led the team in caused turnovers (24) as well as ground balls won (50).
 
Sophomore Jaxon Haas enters the season as the team's top returning scorer. The A.I.I. All-Conference First Team selection finished an impressive freshman season with 21 goals, 15 assists and three gamewinners.
 
Defensively, Fisher Nuss is one that head coach Andy Joly described as one of the best defenders on the roster from last year and for the upcoming season. Nuss, a sophomore from Portland, Ore., started in 11 of the 12 contests.
 
Others to watch include senior Josh Zion, who returns to action after a knee injury sidelined him for all of last year, Alex Todd (11 goals, 5 assists), Sean Hess (17 goals, 3 assists) and Andy Coulter (12 goals, 17 assists), who led the Spartans in assists.
 
A Look at the 2019 Schedule

• On the slate for 2019 is six games at home and seven on the road.
• Of the 13 contests, five are against teams ranked in the preseason Top 10 including No. 1 Reinhardt (Ga.), No. 3 Cumberlands (Ky.), No. 5 Siena Heights (Mich.), No. 7 Keiser (Fla.) and No. 10 St. Ambrose (Iowa). Three others are receiving votes: Benedictine (Kan.), Lourdes (Ohio) and Tennessee Wesleyan.
• Senior Day is set for Saturday, April 20 against Lindenwood University-Belleville. Last year, the Spartans defeated the Lynx 21-0 on Senior Day.