CAHS girls boast speedy lineup
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
Preview
MARS HILL — It’s always difficult replacing a starting pitcher, and that’s a task Central Aroostook’s second-year coach Ryan Guerrette is facing heading into the 2013 season.
Vicki McIntyre, who graduated, saw a majority of the action on the mound last year, and she, along with shortstop Rachael Grew, second baseman Shannon Todd and center fielder Whitney Klein, were last year’s seniors who put up big numbers for the team that was eliminated in the Class D regional quarterfinals by Deer Isle-Stonington.
In addition to going 9-4 on the mound, McIntyre batted .704 and had 19 extra-base hits and drove in 37 runs. Grew batted .380 and scored 32 runs, while Klein and Todd batted .381 and .378, respectively, and combined for 56 stolen bases.
Despite the personnel losses, Guerrette is pleased with this year’s group and said pre-season workouts have gone well so far.
“I really like our team speed,” he said. “We will be able to be aggressive on the bases and in the field, and I also think we will be a solid hitting team.”
The key, however, will be how the team is able to pitch.
“My biggest concern, as always, is pitching and defense,” Guerrette said. “If we can consistently throw strikes and catch the ball, we will have a good season.”
The duo of freshman Karli Levesque and sophomore Carly Grass, who pitched last year when McIntyre didn’t (and went 3-1 in her 30 innings of work), will share the mound duties to begin the season.
The rest of the lineup includes fourth-year starting catcher Page Fletcher (.357 batting average in 2012), fourth-year starting first baseman Michaela King (.456, 35 RBIs), senior shortstop Paige Garrison (.357, 30 steals), who makes the move from third and is another fourth-year starter; freshman third baseman Sheritan Kelly, senior left fielder Kayla Cushman (.500, 26 steals) and sophomore center fielder Whitnie Bradbury (.347, 22 steals).
“I have quite a few of my top hitters returning from last season and a couple promising freshmen bats as well,” Guerrette said.
Position battles are still going on at second base, where senior Sarah Grass and freshman Mollie Garrison are the candidates, and in right field, where junior Megan King and either Grass or Garrison are possibilities.
“We have a lot of kids learning to play new positions, so we will have some growing pains there,” Guerrette warns. “Early on, we concentrate on the fundamentals of fielding and hitting and hopefully that will pay off down the road.”
The remaining team members are junior Sadie Curit, sophomore Jordan Canney and freshmen Abigal Boyce, Delaney Grass, Kailyn Stitham and Tucker Fletcher. Bailee Durost and Courtney Milliard are the managers, Megan Korhonen returns as an assistant and Grew will be a volunteer assistant.
