BUTLER TWP — The numbers haven’t been there. Neither have many wins.

Fifth-year Butler County Community College men’s and women’s basketball coach Dick Hartung sees progress regardless.

“This is the best chance we’ve had (of the NJCAA Division III playoffs) in five years, from the men’s standpoint,” Hartung said. “Our girls are untested. We’ll see how they do when the lights come on.

“But I love the enthusiasm and the hard work. Each day in practice, we’re getting better.”

Both Pioneer squads open the 2014-15 season Wednesday at Mercyhurst Northeast. They don’t play at home until Nov. 17 against Jamestown.

BC3’s men’s team won seven games two years ago, the most it’s won in a season since Hartung returned to the helm five years ago.

Two starters return in sophomore point guard Shae Stobert from Butler and forward Tyler Copeland from Titusville.

Newcoming starters will be sophomore guard Dom Pusateri, a transfer from Waynesburg, freshman guard Austin Miller from Knoch and freshman forward Alex Alverez from Brockport, N.Y.

“We’re not very big,” Hartung said. “Our guards are 5-foot-9, for goodness sakes. But we can shoot. Teams better guard us.

“Can we defend? Can we rebound? Can we work together and develop chemistry? Those are the questions we’ll get answers to once we start playing.”

Hartung described Copeland as “a 6-4 guy with long arms who can disrupt things.” Alverez is “only 6-3, small for a forward, but extremely athletic.”

Coming off the bench for the Pioneers will be freshmen forward Chris Kier and guard Stefan Carlsson, both Knoch grads, and freshman guard Michael Mikula from Butler.

Kier is one of those guys who always guarded the other team’s best player in high school,” Hartung said. “Mikula didn’t play basketball at Butler, but he can put the ball in the basket.

“With Stobert, Miller and Pusateri out there, we’ll have three point guards on the floor at the same time. We should be able to handle the ball. And the other guys on the team match Pusateri’s motor, so we’ll have energy.”

On the women’s side, the Pioneers bring back point guard Ashley Brehm, a Moniteau graduate, as their lone returning starter.

“We’re telling Ashley she needs to look to score more,” Hartung said. “We lost a big scorer in Shelby Johnston and I’m not sure where our points are going to come from.”

Hartung guided the BC3 women to a 17-11 record and first Region XX championship in the program’s history in his first season. The team has not finished at .500 since.

Expected to join Brehm in the starting lineup are four freshmen — guard Angela Cress from Knoch, forward Miranda Williams from Oil City, guard Kierra Dowling and forward Lauren Bresnahan from Butler.

“Bresnahan plays hard and brings some grit to our front-court,” Hartung said. “She’ll help us.”

Coming off the bench will be sophomore guard Jhoey DeWalt from Knoch, sophomore forward Chloe Marshall and freshman forward Jamie Zeidler from Mars.

“Dewalt has been an outstanding softball player, a hard worker in that sport, and now we’re translating that over to basketball,” Hartung said.

“Hard work won’t be a problem on this team. We’re just really green, that’s all.”