It would be hard for the Pittsburgh Pandas baseball team to improve upon last season.

That's because the squad went 38-4 in 2006 and won the World Series of the National Amateur Baseball Federation College Division (ages 22 and under).

The Pandas won their title in Toledo, Ohio, topping a team from Long Island, N.Y., in the final, 9-3.

The Pandas, who will play their home games at La Roche College in McCandless, have just seven returning players on their 23-member roster. They will begin play in the 12-team, wooden-bat Tri-State League next Saturday with a doubleheader against visiting Cleveland beginning at 3 p.m.

The Pandas will play 32 regular-season games during the next six weeks, then hope to make a return trip to regional and national playoff competition, where they went 9-1 last summer.

Is this year's team capable of attaining the success of last year's club?

"I have no idea ... until we start to play," said Frank Gilbert, who is beginning his seventh season as the Pandas' general manager.

John Bellaver is beginning his seventh season as the team's manager.

Key returnees are shortstop Lucas McCoy (La Roche College), catcher Nick Wendell (La Roche), pitcher/catcher/first baseman Mike Schmidt (West Virginia), and pitchers Nate Fillip (La Roche) and Nate McCollough (La Roche).

McCollough, a right-handed relief specialist, went 4-0 with two saves and a 1.65 ERA during the playoffs last season and was named the Most Valuable Player at the 16-team national championships.

Wendell, a 6-foot, 215-pounder, hit .400 (36 for 90) during the regular season last year.

McCoy hit .346 (27 for 78) during the regular season and could be the league's premier defensive shortstop.

"Defensively, Lucas is the best I've seen at this level and he could hold his own at the next level," said Gilbert, who has seen a number of his former players sign professional contracts, including Pirates prospect Josh Sharpless.

"He has great hands, great instincts."

This year's Pandas have six players from NCAA Division III La Roche on their roster. Pitt is represented by four players. All players in the league must be college-age.

The Pandas, who will begin practice tomorrow, could end up fielding a starting lineup consisting of: Wendell (catcher), Schmidt (first base), Penn State-Fayette's Bobby Fulton (second base) McCoy (shortstop), West Virginia's Justin Parks (third base), California Pa.'s Sam DiMatteo (left field), Pitt's Zack Duggan (center field) and Northern Iowa's Tyler Marburger (right field).

Duggan and reserve infielder Brett Spagnola (La Roche) are Seneca Valley High graduates.

The Pandas are in the North Division of the Tri-State League along with Cleveland, Pittsburgh Baseball Training Academy, Toledo, Youngstown and the Allegheny Athletics, who use North Allegheny High as their home field. Teams in the North Division will play each other four times.

The South Division consists of all Ohio teams -- Chillicothe, two Columbus teams, Gahanna, Newark, and Otterbein. The Pandas will meet each of the teams in the South twice.