The Washburn Beavers hope to take the camaraderie from last year’s team and carry it over to the 2014 season.
Coach Ben Goodwin is leading the squad that only lost one player from last season and brings back a couple of players who took last year off. Having that sort of familiarity with the skills and personalities of the athletes will help immensely in figuring out how to win those early games.
“I have a solid core of kids that have been with me and understand my coaching philosophy,” Goodwin said. “[It] will really help our push for the playoffs.”
According to Goodwin, that core includes a group of upperclassmen ready to lead the team in whatever way is appropriate for the given situation.
“I have a great group of seniors and juniors what have the ability to lead on and off the field,” said the coach. “Their roles might fluctuate from game to game and it might turn out that I have someone different step up and lead any given day.”
As the season gets underway, the Beavers’ biggest goal is to live up to their potential and give everything they have to play the game to the best of their ability. When it comes to key matchups, every game matters on the road to the championship.
“I want my boys to go into every game with the mindset that this is a must-win [situation],” Goodwin said. “This past spring most of these same boys were able to do just that in baseball and we had one of the most successful seasons in school history. falling just short of making it to the Eastern Maine finals.”
Returning for the Beavers this season are Andrew Gumprecht, Benton Plante, Justin Davis, Brandon Farley, Tyler Jardine, Parker Thompson, Michael Ericson, Noah Farley, Alex Pelletier, Cameron Bragg, McCall Turner, Cameron Hartford, Caleb Thompson, Carter Doak, Noah Caron and Bryce Roix.
New additions include Kevin Jordan, Kenny Irving and Brandon Cropley.