Banners that display the 2013 state championship near the backstop and on the outfield wall provide a not-so-subtle reminder of Auburn Mountainview’s recent success on the baseball field.

“We kind of post it all over the place,” coach Glen Walker said. “We make sure that nobody enters our field – or sits on our field – without knowing that. We try and celebrate our success and hopefully the kids and parents buy into it.

“The kids know coming in that they’ve got a lot to live up to, but at the same time they know they’ve kind of set their own path.”

The latter element is critical for the Lions, who graduated 10 significant contributors from last year’s team, which won a league championship for the third consecutive year. Can Auburn Mountainview do it again without them?

They know others are asking.

“I guaranteed they’re probably excited to say (Auburn Mountainview) lost a lot of guys,” said junior Alex McBee, an outfielder and left-handed pitcher. “But I think we might not have the guys that we did last year, but we’ve got a group of guys that play a little bit differently. I think the way we play will give us just as much progress – and wins – as last year.”

Senior third baseman Tanner Perry knows the Lions lost plenty of talent, noting that nine graduates off the 2015 roster are playing collegiately. But Perry also likes what he has seen in practice.

“I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people,” he said. “We’ve got a good core group of guys who have been playing together for a long time.”

Walker long has discussed the virtues of pitching and defense dating back to his tenure at Liberty in Renton before he became the Lions’ coach when the school opened. He said much of the program’s success – four state-playoff appearances in 10 seasons – has been built on those concepts.

But as Auburn Mountainview prepared for its league opener Wednesday at Enumclaw, Walker said the offense has stood out. He said junior outfielder Michael Kramer, a transfer from Black Hills High School in Tumwater, McBee and senior catcher Cody Stevenson give the team a strong middle of the lineup.

McBee agreed.

“We’ll bring a little bit of pop,” he said.

But Walker does have some concerns. The Lions must replace standout right-hander Justin Marsden, who signed with the Tampa Bay Rays after being selected in the 22nd round last summer.

“Coming into the season, our concern definitely was on the hill,” Walker said.

That means McBee might succeed Marsden, who combined an overpowering fastball with a curveball. McBee is a style in contrast.

“From the left side, I’m not necessarily a guy who’s going to overpower people and I think other teams know that,” he said. “I think I have something that guys aren’t going to be ready for when other teams see me. I’ve got a nice changeup.”

Walker said freshman Nate Weeldryer, who is committed to Seattle University, also is in contention to start.

Regardless of whomever is on the mound, Walker expects the Lions to retain a high standard in the field.

“We’ve always preached defense wins championships,” he said. “We figure that if we can stop the team from scoring, then we don’t have to score too much.”

That will be important in a South Puget Sound League 3A race that Walker expects to be competitive. He thinks Sumner “is going to be good,” while Bonney Lake and Peninsula are competitive.

Walker also feels Auburn Riverside, which advanced to state last year, and Auburn will have a greater home-field advantage this season, now that both schools have their own synthetic turf surfaces. In the past, both programs had to play some games at Auburn Mountainview to avoid rainouts.

As for his program, Walker said he has been blessed with talent along with supportive assistants coaches and families to help build a program that can sustain success.

“They work really, really hard, and I think it takes a lot of the pressure off me because I don’t have to do everything every single day,” he said.

And, every day, Walker’s players are focused on winning a fourth consecutive league championship – and more.

“I think we know that there’s a lot of people that don’t think we’re going to be as good – just the chatter – because we lost a lot of guys,” Perry said. “We want to prove those people wrong.”