After missing the National Baseball Congress tournament for the first time since 2010 and only the second time since 1988, the Hays Larks are hopeful of bigger and better things in 2016.

The Larks are set to open their new season Thursday night with a non-league game with the Denver Cougars. They will host the Colorado Sox in a three game series on Saturday and Sunday before the start of Jayhawk League play Tuesday against El Dorado.

Frank Leo enters his 34th season as Larks manager and talks about the upcoming 2016 season.

The Larks have six players on the roster who have played for the club in the past. Heading that list is pitcher DJ Carr. The Fort Hays State senior will be spending his fourth summer in Hays and is 4-1 with nine saves in 51 career appearances in a Larks uniform.

Joining Carr on the pitching staff is Augie Gillardo. The Eastern Michigan senior went 3-1 with a 1.63 ERA in five starts a year ago with 40 strikeouts in 32.0 innings.

Nate Olinger, who played for the Larks in 2014, is expected to highlight the Larks offense. Olinger, who was named an NCAA II All-American at Colorado School of Mines where he holds the Orediggers career record for hits, doubles and earned run average, hit .259 for the Larks two years ago with 23 RBIs and was 1-1 with one save and a 5.82 ERA in seven appearances on the mound.

There will be a new format to Jayhawk League play this season. Teams will now play the other league teams six times, three meetings in June and three in July. The league leaders in June and July both advance to the Championship Week of the NBC World Series and will also meet in a best of three series at the end of the season to determine the Jayhawk League champ.