Last year was supposed to be the year. Eleven seniors, loads of talent, lots of pitching – the Manchester Central baseball thought it had it all, including a good shot to win Class L.

Instead, Central coach Andy Laroche said, three of its top players were suspended for 30 days after they were caught buying alcohol, the team was hampered by in-fighting, and, after eight one-run losses left them with a 5- 13 record, the Little Green found themselves out of the playoffs. “It should have been something better than that,” Laroche said.

A year later, it just may be.

This year’s Central team won’t enter its season-opener with Spaulding of Rochester on Wednesday, April 11, with anything approaching last year’s expectations. But after last season’s trying campaign, Laroche believes his players will enter stronger because of it.

Young players like Matt Shaughnessy and Candia’s Zach Lemire, now juniors and team leaders, gained valuable experience in replacing the suspended upperclassmen. Senior Mike Moody, this season’s No. 1 pitcher, took on more responsibility with the staff thinned. Junior Keith Trombley – a 6-foot-4, 230- pound Candia native who should catch the eye of more than a few scouts, Laroche said – also saw his first taste of varsity.

These are the good things Central is taking from a sub-par 2006. And these are the reasons this season shouldn’t be like the last.

“For us, it’s always been about getting to the playoffs, and once you’re in, anything can happen,” Laroche said, referring to the 13th-seeded Central team that won the 2000 Class L title. “So we’re trying to get back to that status.”

With a core group of seniors and a strong junior class, the Little Green intend on continuing that climb this spring.

Though admittedly short on pitching, Laroche said he’ll turn to Moody – a co-captain and owner of a good slider and drop curveball – and several others including Trombley, Lemire and Brendon McCarthy to produce enough strong outings to complement what should be a punishing lineup.

Senior Craig Martin returns to the top of the order and leads a group that includes Shaughnessy, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound hitter who may bat third; Kyle Maguire, a transfer from Massachusetts who’ll most likely handle duties at second and bat second; and a throng of power hitters – Trombley, Lemire and Anthony Malik – who, according to Laroche, “could all easily put it out of the park with an easy swing.”

Candia native Brandon Czaja is expected to play first base, Trombley said, while Jason Szelog should take over a spot in the outfield. Hooksett’s Ben Duckless also graces the Central roster.

If the Little Green can take a step forward as a program this season, the future looks even brighter with a large freshman class brimming with pitchers and the bulk of the team set to return next spring.

But Central is not going to get ahead of itself. It knows the perils of that.

“We have a lot of talent this year,” Lemire said. “We don’t have a lot of pitching, but we have a lot of fielding and defense. As long as our pitchers can make them hit some groundballs, we can make plays.”