STACYVILLE, Maine — A small, but scrappy squad will take to the softball field for Katahdin Middle-High School this spring.
Justin Stevens returns for his fifth season at the helm of the Cougars softball team and although his squad is small, it does have several talented players.
“I am hoping to be competitive,” Stevens said. “I’ve got some talented athletes, even though we have a small team. We have strong leadership and a group of hard workers that won’t give up.”
Katahdin finished third in Class D North last season, earning a home preliminary playoff. In that contest, the Cougars rolled to a 21-1 victory over No. 14 Shead before falling to No. 6 Woodland 8-6 in the quarterfinals.
Continuing to build upon that postseason experience is something the coach and players are looking forward to this season.
The Cougar roster features seniors Maizy Cullen (pitcher/infield), Makayla Hartsgrove (catcher), Nikita Keim (outfield) and Victoria Hawkins (outfield); junior Emily Nason (outfield); sophomore Hunter Hartsgrove (infield); and freshmen Jayden Stevens (pitcher/ infield), Mickenzie Landry (infield), Avery Cullen (infield) and Skyla Lewis (outfield).
The majority of the team all saw time on the field last year, including the freshmen who played as eighth-graders.
Coach Stevens said his focus this season will be on improving the team’s patience at the plate, in the hopes that it will generate more hits, which would lead to more runs scored.
Having enough players to field a complete team will be one of the biggest challenges for the Cougars. The team has nine available players as Keim recovers from an injury.
“We have nine (active players), so it’s not going to be an easy season,” the coach said. “But they are all hard workers and very dedicated so we will see how we will do.”
Katahdin opens its season Wednesday, April 27, with a 4 p.m. game at Hodgdon.
