DYER BROOK, Maine — Southern Aroostook dominated Aroostook County Class D baseball last spring behind a high-powered offense that averaged nearly 13 runs per game. That offense carried the Warriors to the Eastern Maine championship game.
Unfortunately, the Warriors were unable to produce runs consistently against Stearns High School as the Minutemen piled up 14 hits en route to an 11-3 victory at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor.
SACHS, led by fourth-year coach David Day and assisted by Carmen Lilley, are anxious to get back on the field this year to pick up on where they left off during last year’s 15-3 run.
Numbers are low again this spring with only 12 players, the same as last year. “With that said, when numbers are minimal, every player is key to what we are trying to accomplish,” said coach Day.
The Warriors graduated four players last year, including two pitchers and the catcher. All of them also wielded solid bats during SACHS’ EM title run.
Pitchers leading this year’s squad are seniors Josh Perrin and Cory Rockwell; juniors Hunter Lawlor and Nolan Altvater; and freshman Garrett Siltz. “We will be very consistent in this department and I am pleased with their progress,” Day said.
The rest of the Warrior baseball roster includes senior Lucas Violette, juniors Nate Lilley, Clay McArthur and Tyler Batchelder, sophomore Hunter Walker and ninth-graders Steve Rackliff and Jon Hardy.
“When numbers are low, the kids know they don’t have a ‘key position’ … in other words they won’t have a home. I joke with them and tell them they are ‘orphans’ and will have to fill in depending who we have on the hill,” Day explained.
He said Josh Perrin played eight positions last year and several other players held down five or six assignments, depending on the situation.
“We are fortunate that we have the athletes that can do that. In a way it is a double-edged sword because kids won’t be able to craft a certain spot, however, knowing how to play the outfield one game … and catching the next, makes us more in tuned with our surroundings as a whole,” Day said.
The coach prefers moving his players around “because that, in a nutshell, is our team strength,” he added. Every player, not just two or three, are key to the team’s success, according to Day.
Day knows the key to the season will be how quickly his new players adapt. “An area where I think we may struggle early with is our hitting … not to be confused with our offense. SACHS knows how to generate runs and that won’t change. However, we have some new and young players and it may take a few games before they can make the adjustments at the plate,” he said.
Coach Day expects strong challenges from league opponents like Hodgdon and Fort Fairfield, as well as Woodland and Katahdin. He’ll know for sure this week as the Warriors host Hodgdon Friday at noon and travel to Woodland next Wednesday for a 4 p.m. matchup.
