BERLIN -- With a new coach at the helm and a talented group of returning players and newcomers, the outlook is bright for the Stephen Decatur boys’ varsity lacrosse team this season.

Coach Scott “Spunky” Lathroum takes over at Decatur this spring as the Seahawks embark on what should be another promising season. Lathroum takes over for Coach Jason Macrides, who stepped down at the end of last season after shepherding the Seahawks through a significant transition phase for the program to become a powerhouse on the Eastern Shore. Lathroum, who served as an assistant under Macrides for several years, expects more of the same going forward for Decatur.

“The plan is to pretty much stay the course, although I plan to add a few of my own wrinkles,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of success here in recent years and I don’t envision a major transition, but there are a few things we’ll do differently.”

Lathroum’s immediate task is to replace six of 10 starters lost to graduation last year, but there appears to be plenty of talented players at positions all over the field ready to step into the breach. While the team just hit the field for its first official practice last week, Lathroum is already pleased with what he sees.

“We have a bunch of kids coming out,” he said. “We have a lot of big, strong, athletic kids ready to step in and fill some of the gaps.”

Brooks Gilbert is expected to start in goal and Lathroum is already pleased with what he has seen in pre-season workouts and drop-ins. On offense, Decatur has two standout players returning on attack in Curtis Snyder and Eric Geiser. The Seahawks also have two solid returning midfielders in Johnny Moore and Riley McCabe. Collectively, Lathroum is counting on that veteran leadership in the offensive end of the field.

“I’m expecting a lot out of those guys this year,” he said. “I need each of them to step up and provide some leadership.”

In the back end, Decatur has some veteran players to build a defense around including returning starter Colin May, Colin McCarty and Joe Flounlacker. Also expected to make an immediate contribution this season is Andrew Ternahan, who transferred from Worcester Prep where he was a standout.

Beyond those core players, Lathroum is counting on a strong freshmen class and a flock of returning Seahawks to fill the voids identified in the lineup.

“We’re going to mix everything together and see what we come up with,” he said. “We have a great group of kids and there is a lot of excitement around the program this year.”