Luther’s fate in the Iowa Conference baseball race this spring will be determined by starting pitching.The Norse are 12-3 and open the league race at home on Thursday against Central. Luther coach Brian Gillogly says they’re going to rely heavily on their starters, but depth is important. He says there are two types of pitching staffs that you need to succeed in a league race, a deep one or you rely on a lot of guys time in and time out to come in and get the win. He says right now they’re going to rely heavily on their top four. The staff earned run average is under four and Luther pitchers are issuing less than two walks per game. After a 12-4 record and a second place finish in the regular season the Norse will rely on a large senior class to take the next step. Gillogly says they think they have a ballclub that can contend and are excited to be in the race. Central opened conference play over the weekend with a pair of losses to Wartburg.