Baldwin — It won't be a non-conference cream puff that awaits Baker in its season football opener tonight.
In the Wildcats' only regular-season game outside the Heart of America Conference, Baker will try to tame Southwestern College, ranked 10th in the NAIA preseason poll.
Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Liston Stadium.
"We're definitely ready to get out there and play," Baker coach John Frangoulis said. "We've been practicing for over three weeks now so everyone is really hungry to play a real ball game."
Coming off a 9-2 season in which it advanced to the first round of the NAIA Playoffs, Southwestern has 10 returning defensive starters and six returning offensive starters.
Last season, the Moundbuilders bashed Baker, 41-7, in Winfield. Baker lost quarterback Mike Keebaugh, to a knee injury in that contest.
Two years ago, Baker lost starting QB Ian Page in the Southwestern game.
"They knocked our starting quarterback out the last two years," Frangoulis said. "That's definitely something that we've brought to the attention of our players. We want to get out of this one with a win and our starting quarterback."
Junior David Ewers will get his second shot at Southwestern. After being thrust into the starter's role last season with no varsity experience, Ewers led Baker to three of its five wins last season.
This fall, Ewers beat out junior college transfer Levi Schuck.
Frangoulis said he expects to see big things this season from the 6-1, 190-pound Ewers, who is a team captain
"The thing about David is that he's always been one of the most popular players on the team," Frangoulis said. "The players around here have always respected him, and he's gotten better and better with each game he's played in."
Baker's offense will receive an added boost from senior wide receiver Paul Thompson. A first-team all-conference selection last season, Thompson 39-catch, 494-yard season ended prematurely a year ago when he suffered a broken leg in the next-to-last game of the season.
The rest of Baker's lineup is unusually young, but does not lack in experience. Although only five seniors will start on offense and defense, Baker does return a seasoned crop of juniors.
On defense, five junior defensive starters return in linebacker Jason Montgomery, lineman Carlos Grace, free safety Mark Emry, cornerback Dax Barker and nose guard Joe Zubek.
Last season, Grace was a second-team all-conference selection while Montgomery and Emry earned third-team honors. Senior starters Bailey Grant, cornerback, and Darren Hunt, defensive end, also return.
On the offensive line, third-team all-conference guard Seth Langford and senior center Tony Hein are back, but the rest of the unit is relatively inexperienced.
Tailback Lamar Delt and fullback Kalon Sales, both seniors, will start with Ewers in the backfield.
Tonight's game will be the first of two consecutive against ranked opponents. Next week Baker will travel to St. Charles, Mo., to face No. 12-ranked Lindenwood.
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