Searage bullish on young pitching staff

Brault, Williams on Searage FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Sitting inside a small room adjacent to the clubhouse at LECOM Park on Wednesday afternoon, Ray Searage could not hide his excitement.

Renowned for his work with reclamation projects during the Pirates' run of success from 2013-15, Searage is now charged with guiding a young staff that figures to include only two pitchers older than 30 on the Opening Day roster: Ivan Nova and George Kontos. Searage is up for the challenge, speaking of his players with effusive praise and unbridled optimism interspersed with nicknames, anecdotes and broad smiles.

View Full Game Coverage

"It's awesome," Searage said. "We have the want-to, so that's a good thing. We…