With the high school baseball season upon us, fans might recall some of the biggest storylines from last year.
There was the historic 22-strikeout game from Mr. Maine Baseball Jason Libby, Bangor’s surprise run to the regional finals as a No. 7 seed, Dylan Sawyer’s no-hitter in his first career start for John Bapst, and the Old Town Coyotes’ one-run Class B championship victory over Yarmouth at Mansfield Stadium.
This year will bring a whole new batch of interesting storylines to follow, and exciting clubs to watch.
Whether they are established powerhouses or young and on the rise, here are five teams from northern Maine that could make waves this spring, ordered alphabetically.
Brewer
Finishing with the best record in Class A North last year (14-2), the Brewer Witches were stunned by No. 8 Edward Little in the first round of the postseason, falling 4-3.
Considering the Red Eddies wound up advancing to the state title game, the Witches know the regional title could have easily been theirs, and will be playing with a chip on their shoulders this year.
Having graduated just one of their starting pitchers, the Witches will rely on their arms to win most of their games this season, led by senior ace Grady Vanidestine and the junior Littlefield brothers, Logan and Blake. Vanidestine was a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference first-teamer last year.
In the lineup, Brewer will derive its pop from junior first baseman Anderson Clifford, junior catcher Kaiden Morin and senior third baseman Hunter Merrithew.
“We’re hoping to be competitive again this year,” Brewer’s KVAC Class A Coach of the Year Dana Corey said. “It’s a competitive league, and there will be some growing pains, but we should be solid.”
Brewer’s first game of the year will take place on Thursday, April 18, against Oxford Hills at home.
Bucksport
Class C state champion in 2022 and runners-up in 2023, the Golden Bucks of Bucksport have a shot at ascending the mountaintop again this season, having graduated just two seniors.
On the mound, Bucksport will be led by senior Gavyn Holyoke and sophomore Ryan Winchester, who combined for 15 starts, 92 innings, 90 strikeouts and just 13 earned runs last year.
On offense, the Golden Bucks have a bunch of contact hitters that aren’t afraid to work counts, namely Holyoke (.835 on-base plus slugging percentage last year), junior Bo Provencher (.459 on-base percentage), junior Jason Terrill (.833 OPS), and senior Ayden Maguire (.750 OPS).
“We’ve been very fortunate, and have been playing great baseball,” Bucksport head coach Josh Jackson said. “We’re strong all the way around, and we have veterans that know how to win.”
The Golden Bucks will open up with Ellsworth at home at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17.
Cony
While not geographically north, the Cony Rams of Augusta compete in Class B North, and finished with a 15-1 regular season record last year. Boasting plenty of youth and depth, Cony has ideas of avenging its regional semifinal loss to No. 3 Ellsworth last year, and ultimately winning the region.
Cony graduated KVAC All-Conference first-teamer Kameroun Douin and star second baseman Davis Kibler this offseason, but returns All-Conference juniors Trent Hayward (catcher, first-team) and Jordan Benedict (pitcher, second-team).
Senior Landon Foster, sophomore Parker Morin and sophomore Lance Theriault will also provide key innings for the Rams’ pitching staff.
“It begins and ends on the mound for us,” Cony’s KVAC Class B Coach of the Year Don Plourde said. “We have a lot coming back, a really good freshman class, and will have an opportunity to win every game we play.”
Cony begins its season at noon on April 17 at Messalonskee.
Hermon
Hovering around .500 over the past couple seasons with a lot of young players on their roster, many coaches are expecting the Hermon Hawks to make some big breakthroughs this year.
“We’ve had talent, but we weren’t [physically] strong enough in the past,” Hermon head coach Matt Kinney said. “Hopefully by the end of the season we’ll be playing good baseball.”
Leading the charge on the mound and in the batters box for Hermon will be senior Danny Fowler (catcher, pitcher), senior Gavin Scripture (right fielder, pitcher), junior Maddox Kinney (first baseman, pitcher) and junior Max Hopkins (shortstop, pitcher).
“We have the talent to beat anyone, but the inexperience to lose to anyone,” Kinney said. “We’re gonna count on the older guys to get us through the first part of the season.”
Hermon’s first game of the 2024 season will be against Old Town at home, at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23.
Old Town
The Coyotes have been a staple in northern Maine baseball in recent years, winning three Class B state championships since 2016, most recently a thriller over Yarmouth.
Paced by a two-hit shutout from senior pitcher Gabe Gifford — the southpaw notched three shutout gems in the postseason and currently plays for UMaine — the Coyotes outlasted the Clippers 1-0, and have plans on winning it all again this year.
Without Gifford, the Coyotes will rely on their big bats to power them through to the playoffs, namely senior catcher Jackson Lizotte (1.050 on-base plus slugging percentage last year), senior corner infielder Brendan Mahaney (.994 OPS) and junior second baseman Alex McCannell (.759 OPS).
Leading the way for Old Town’s pitching staff will be veterans Owen Rand and Ben Dickey, with contributions from varsity newcomers Michael Garland, Tyler Priest and Julian Duty.
“Everybody will be getting some innings,” Old Town head coach Justin Crisafulli said. “We want the freshmen to get their confidence up, throw strikes and challenge hitters. It’ll be a fun year.”
Old Town’s season begins with a doubleheader against Caribou, at home on Saturday, April 20 at noon.
