Canberra Cavalry chief executive Donn McMichael believes the club is building a roster capable of winning another championship as scouts bombard him with six player resumes every day.
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McMichael said the Cavalry had their eye on a closing pitcher who has been clocked at speeds of close to 175 kilometres per hour while a host of starters are returning for another Australian Baseball League crack.
The ABL published its draw on Tuesday for the 2017-18 season, with the league expanding its finals series from three teams to four to increase championship contention.
The Cavalry will start its season with a clash against defending champion the Brisbane Bandits on November 16.
Steve Kent, Brian Grening, Tim Atherton and Michael Click will bolster the roster and McMichael believes the finals expansion has opened the door for a Cavalry charge.
"We're looking really good with the roster, so we're pretty happy with where we sit from that point of view," McMichael said.
"We're looking at a guy who can throw at 108 miles per hour as a closer for us, so we'll keep working away at that.
"There's a heck of a lot of interest in the ABL now. Internationally, I'm having resumes of five or six players per day land on my desk from scouts and managers overseas.
"That's a reflection of where the league is at and we're confident we can be a real contender."
Canberra will host the Bandits in the final round of the season as well as having two weeks at home before the Christmas break.
The top-four system means just two teams will miss the play-offs, and the ABL said it was a "win for fans".
Each team will play 40 regular-season games before the top-two sides host the series in the first week of the play-offs.
"I think expanding the finals is a great move for the league," McMichael said.
"Finishing first or second is a massive advantage and to get finals games to more finals, that will be great.
"Our roster is pretty settled with the exception of our affiliated players from Toronto and the Padres.
"They're keen to send as many as possible, but we won't know for another three or four weeks who we're getting from them."
Michael Collins will continue his rein as Cavalry manager and will return to the capital in the comings months when he finishes his coaching duties in the United States.
"Michael is really well regarded in the US and as a coach in Australia," McMichael said.
"He's probably one of the top managers going around, so there's a lot of interest from players wanting to work with him. That's a massive plus for us as well."
CANBERRA CAVALRY'S 2018 ABL DRAW
Round one: Brisbane Bandits v Cavalry at Brisbane (November 16-19)
Round two: Cavalry v Sydney Blue Sox at Narrabundah (November 23-26)
Round three: Adelaide Bite v Cavalry at Adelaide (November 30 - December 3)
Round four: Cavalry v Melbourne Aces at Narrabundah (December 7-10)
Round five: Cavalry v Perth Heat at Narrabundah (December 14-17)
Round six: Perth Heat v Cavalry at Perth (December 28-31)
Round seven: Melbourne Aces v Cavalry at Melbourne (January 4-7)
Round eight: Cavalry v Adelaide Bite at Narrabundah (January 11-14)
Round nine: Sydney Blue Sox v Cavalry at Sydney (January 18-21)
Round 10: Cavalry v Brisbane Bandits at Narrabundah (January 25-27)
