While many Ballardites have been using the unseasonably warm winter to relax in the sun or stare wistfully at blue skies outside office windows, Ballard High School athletes have been preparing for the 2010 spring sports season.

Last year, the Ballard High School baseball team took a nosedive after a tough loss to Woodinville, going on a 10-game losing streak.

The team finished the season with a 6-12 record, and coach John Lamm promised changes in his second year as head coach.

Lamm said he has implemented a tougher code of conduct for players in terms of attending classes and keeping grades up in order fill the team with athletes who know how to work and overcome when things get hard.

He said he doesn't want players who will let a tough loss spiral out of control.

"We have to change the program," Lamm said. "We have to change the mentality at Ballard."

The loss of 13 seniors could hurt the team defensively, he said.

"In my opinion, we had the best defensive infield in KingCo," he said. "That's what kept us in a lot of games."

Lamm said the Beavers only have two returning players with much experience. But, Ballard has a fantastic freshmen class of players coming in, 20 of whom have been playing in select leagues, compared to none last season, he said.

He said his assistant coach always says baseball is unique because it is a one-on-one matchup between hitters and pitchers. If a team continuously loses that matchup, they lose games, he said.

"If we can close the gap between the hitter and the pitcher, we can be more successful," Lamm said. "Until we can do that, we're going to struggle."

It's been hard for Ballard to close that gap against non-city teams in the past because of the difference in resources available, but the team is working on it, he said.

Every Friday for the past two months, the baseball team has been working with two professional instructors to try to narrow the gap.

In its first season, the Ballard High School girls lacrosse team finished with a 2-12 record, but coach Lise Martin saw nothing but positives.

"In my mind, it was a rather ideal season," Martin said. "Our girls might not have had as many wins as people like to see, but our opponents often had to fight for those wins. They were not handed to them easily."

This season, Martin said she wants to see her team develop a deeper knowledge and love for the game.

She said the team improved its skills and came together at the end of last season, and this year's team is only missing four players from a year ago.

Maddie Soukup and Jayne Barnes, the Beavers' leading scorers last year and great players and captains according to Martin, are both returning this season.

"I expect a lot out of them," Martin said. "I expect them to take more risks on the field while also playing a smarter game."

The team is also bringing back keeper Hannah Breton, who led the league in saves last season.

"No coach enjoys replacing a keeper, so it is nice to know we have her," Martin said. "She is a rock four our team. Everyone can rely on her and knows she will be there."

Last season Soukup was named to the Washington Schoolgirls Lacrosse Association All-League Team, and Ballard was given the Division II Sportsmanship Award.

The team is hoping to improve on those accolades by working on better fitness in order to outrun and out-athletic more experienced teams, Martin said.

After a 7-5-2 regular season, the Ballard High School boys soccer team made the KingCo playoffs, only to be eliminated by Issaquah in the first round.

Coach Gary Hunter said the goal this season is to win the KingCo Championship.

The first step of that goal is for the team to win all its non-league games heading into KingCo play, he said.

Hunter said he is stressing that the players play for each other and always do what is best for the team.

The Ballard High School girls golf team sent four players to the KingCo Championship last season and lost only one senior from that team.

The Beavers finished with a 2-5 record, but a lot of returning players and two strong freshmen could change that, coach Casey McMullin said.

"I see an improved season over last year," he said.

Diana Shyue, who made it to the second day of the KingCo Championship as a freshman last year, should have another solid season, McMullin said.

Kayla Wenger and Blaire Morgan are the Ballard captains.

The Ballard High School softball team had a rough season last year.

The team finished with a 1-17 record, lost 14 in a row, were outscored by 144 runs and shutout six times.

There is a bright side for Beaver fans, though.

The softball team started playing better offensively in the second half of the season, scoring more runs in the final seven games than they had in the first 11 and not allowing a shutout in that span.

The team lost only two starters from last year's team, and Sophie Overlock-Pauley, who second-year coach Kyle Gray said is one of the best players in KingCo, is returning.

In addition, the team is building a strong base for the program, Gray said.

He said there were 44 students at tryouts this year, up from 19 last year. The team has good incoming freshmen class and only two seniors, he said.

"We're still a little ways away form competing for a top spot," Gray said. "But the future is looking good."

This year, the Ballard High School girls tennis team has nowhere to go but up after finishing last season with an 0-11 record.

Last season, the Ballard High School track and field team sent four athletes to the district meet but failed to advance any to the state meet for the first time since the mid-90s.

The baseball team gets the spring sports season started against Bishop Blancet High School at 3:30 p.m. at Whitman Middle School on March 12.