Wildcats return 13 players
from last year’s baseball team
Preview
By Jon Gulliver
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — The Presque Isle Wildcats are looking to be a force once again in Eastern Maine Class B after a learning 7-9 season last year.
TYLER SEELEY is one of several returning players for the Presque Isle Wildcats baseball team. 
Coach Tim Olore has been at the helm of the Wildcat program for the past 28 years and is hoping the 13 returning players from last season can continue to progress and improve.
“We learned a great deal from beginning to end last season and that learning combined with our extensive work on the fundamentals really had everyone improve their game,” said Olore. “We worked extremely hard at learning situations and doing the little things that become overlooked in this game. With our experiences from beginning to the end of summer hopefully we can improve on what we accomplished last season. We now have to hope we stay healthy, focused, and the weather has to cooperate so we can get into a nice baseball rhythm.”
Every starter is back from last year and some of those players picked up either All-Aroostook or Penobscot Valley Conference awards. Making All-Aroostook were Isaac LaJoie, Evan Waddell, Wilder York and Jacob Player. Tyler Seeley and York were second team All-PVC.
Olore’s projected lineup, where most Wildcats play multiple positions, has seniors York and LaJoie at the top of the order. Sophomore Seeley will hit third and senior Player will hit clean-up. Sophomore Saul Nunez, senior Waddell, and juniors Adam Flynn, Johan Stephenson and Kyle Goupille will all see plenty of playing time and hit at the bottom of the order.
Also on the roster are juniors Cody Flannery and Corey Belanger and sophomores Josh Gordon and Karson Wilcox.
The managers are sophomores Kaitlyn Michaud, Paige Gagnon, Elena Ford and Jeremy Shaw.
Presque Isle has an ambitious preseason schedule. The first part of this week the Wildcats are out of state taking on some warm weather competition and the previous week Presque Isle was downstate.
“These young men are eager and ready to get the season underway,” said Olore. “We played Class A Lawrence (Saturday, April 7) and we defeated them by a score of 5 to 2. Nunez pitched six very solid innings and Wilder York picked up the save. Waddell had three big hits and the team overall had ten hits.”
“In game two we defeated the defending Class B State Champions by a score four to two, the coach said. “This was a great weekend for us to get going and see where we’ve improved from last year. I like the make up of this squad but we have to take one game at a time and learn from them. Our team goals are being more successful than the previous year and being competitive with anyone.”
The assistant coach is James York.
The regular season opens for Presque Isle on Friday at noon in Hermon for a double-header. The first home game is Tuesday, April 24 at 4 p.m. against Houlton.
