The manager and two veteran players return and the team is highly experienced, but the Nations Medicines/Cayce Mill Supply Bees are basically starting over in 2005.

Manager Tony Boisseau returns only two players from last year's team, which finished third in the state in Senior Babe Ruth Baseball.

Those returning are his son, Kyle Boissau, and fellow former Russellville Panther Ron Smith, who is ready for his junior year of college after graduating from high school young. Kyle Boisseau played college baseball last fall but decided to give it up.

Instead many of the Bees will be from the team's archrival last year, the Logan County Legends. Two of them, Andrew Johnson and Brett Johnson, are former Bees who transferred to the Legends last year. Andrew is home from having played a year of college baseball. Brett missed most of last summer with a back injury.

Also coming over from the Bees are six guys who were key members of Logan County High School's regional semifinalist team this season. They are Corey Adler, Curt Whittington, Ryan Williams, Luis Cartas, Derreck Hooper, and Bryan Fuller. Also from LCHS is Hooper's younger brother, Travis.

New to the team from Russellville High School are Ryan Morgan, Kevin Saunders and John Michael Starks.

Former Todd Central player Brad Kirkman, who is playing football for Austin Peau State University, is also a Bee.

Seven Bees from last year were expected back, but brothers Derek Roberts and Jarrod Taylor decided to give up baseball following their first year of college, Alex Graves and Trey Turner are playing for the new Logan County Dawgs team, and Travis Morgan is involved in car racing.

Joining the team as coaches are veteran 13-15 year-old Babe Ruth coaches Travis Steward and Drew Miller. Steward coached many of the new Bees when they played for the Auburn Banking Company team in Babe Ruth for three years, ending three seasons ago. The two coaches' teams met in the 2002 Logan County Babe Ruth finals.

The Bees were to open their season Monday night at Warren East against the Western Kentucky Sliders, a younger team which includes three Panthers, Justin Rust, Tyler Meacham, and Wes Rutherford.

Tuesday they play at Springfield and Wednesday at Owensboro against an American Legion team.