The semipro Butler Eagle County Baseball League is in its eighth decade of existence, so it's not easy to set a precedent.

The Saxonburg franchise has already done that, however, and hopes it isn't done yet.

Saxonburg became the first team to win four consecutive league championships after defeating Mars in the championship series last summer.

"It's quite a feat to win any league four years in a row," said longtime manager and acting league president Dan Cunningham. "To win the Eagle County League four years in a row is quite an achievement."

Cunningham said five other franchises had won three titles in a row since the league was established in the early 1930s but no one pulled off the "four-peat" until last year. Saxonburg defeated Mars in the championship series the past two years, Natrona Heights in 2005 and Freeport the year before that.

Saxonburg went a combined 110-27-2 over that time span, winning the 2005 regular-season crown. The team was 320-106-5 from 1995 (Cunningham's first as manager) through the end of last season and has played in the past eight league finals.

"There's a great group of core players who have remained with the team, and we always had two or three new players every year," said Cunningham, a longtime player whose playing days are essentially over. "We're always looking for good young college players, and we always add a couple every year. This year is no exception."

Saxonburg entered the week at 13-3-1 and in second place in the 11-team league (a Freeport franchise rejoined this season), four points behind Mars, a franchise that also has been successful. Mars has won five of the past eight regular-season titles, winning the three championships prior to Saxonburg's run.

Some of the new college players this season include outfielders Adam Brydon (Thiel) and Matt Messer (Slippery Rock). Brydon led the team in stolen bases heading into the week.

The top three pitchers are Josh Marchinowski, Shawn Butler and Curt Schnur. Each had an ERA of less than 2.00 and they had combined to strike out an average of better than a batter per inning.

Schnur, who is the head coach at Knoch High School, was also batting .321 as the team's No. 5 hitter and part-time first baseman.

Marchinowski, from Butler Area High School and Butler County Community College, led the team in wins (5-0), innings (35) and strikeouts (37).

Butler, who formerly pitched at Pitt, was 3-0 with 23 strikeouts in 18 innings.

North Hills High School graduate and current head coach Nate Buttenfield was pitching for the team this season but ended up signing with the Camden Riversharks of the independent professional Atlantic League.

Some of the more veteran players in the lineup are outfielders Brendan Malone and Mike Sikorski and infielders Sandy Sanderson, Chase Rowe, the head coach at La Roche College, and Steve Hall.