Houlton Pioneer Times File Photo/Joseph Cyr
BEHIND THE DISH — Hodgdon’s Jessie Tracy is back for another season for the Hawk softball squad.
Hawk baseball ready to take the next step
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HODGDON — After tasting postseason success on the basketball court this past winter, Hodgdon varsity baseball coach Rob Smith is hoping his players will stay hungry when they hit the baseball diamond this spring.
In his sixth season as varsity coach, Smith is optimistic his team will improve on last year’s 10-6 overall record, which included a berth in the playoffs. Hodgdon beat Shead 6-5 in a quarterfinal contest, but lost to Southern Aroostook 10-2 in the semifinals.
“We reached the semifinal game last year and only lost one player to graduation,” Smith said. “I think early in the season will be a good test to see how our pitching will hold up. We have four sets of back-to-back games scheduled and that will give our pitchers a good test at how deep they can go in a game.”
Members of the Hodgdon squad include seniors Drew Gough, Josh Hudson, Nick Lunn and Matt Harmon; juniors Anthony Mazzacco, Tyler Sherman and Jonah Sarchfield; sophomores, Ethan Fink and Tristan Larson; and freshmen Kendrick Wilson, Blake Woods and Sam Horton.
Houlton Pioneer Times File Photo/Joseph Cyr
ACE — Hodgdon hurler Nick Lunn delivers a pitch during a game last season. Lunn is one of several returning starters for Hodgdon.
The starting rotation will consist of Lunn, Gough, Sherman, Horton and Fink.
“The first three (Lunn, Gough and Sherman) have a lot of experience on the mound and Sam and Ethan will look to gain experience as they see some innings as the season goes on,” Smith said. “The ace of the staff will be Nick and he will start most games. He has recovered from his broken arm and appears to have not lost any velocity. He led our team in wins last year and will be looked upon to do the same this year..”
His battery mate will be Hudson, who is returning from a broken ankle that he suffered in game three of last year. “Josh has knowledge for the game and will see most of action behind the plate,” coach Smith said. “His leadership and knowledge of his pitchers helps him to call games and give leadership when calling out plays.”
In the field, Larson makes the move from third to first base, while Gough will be the every day second baseman; Horton moves into third base and Sherman will handle the bulk of the shortstop duties. Hudson will be the primary catcher for the squad.
Larson is young but willing to work to learn the position, Smith said. Gough will be the everyday second baseman. Gough filled in behind the plate for an injured Hudson last year, but will be back at second, which is his natural position.
Horton is a freshman that could make an impact on defense with his willingness to learn the position, the coach said. Sherman, a third year starter at shortstop, has a great arm and can make good plays deep in the hole.
Roaming the outfield will be Harmon in centerfield, along with Sarchfield in right and Fink in left.
Smith said Harmon showed great leadership in the outfield last year and will be called upon to do the same this year with several younger players likely to see time in the outfield. Sarchfield, enters his second year in right field. He has a good arm and can get to most balls hit in the air that are near him, the coach said.
Fink, a new face to the team, should adapt to spot well and has a strong arm, the coach said.
Woods will come off the bench and see some time behind the plate and at first base. He adds offense to the lineup and the ability to switch-hit, which would give the Hawks two left-handed hitters. Mazzacco will be the back up at second base and may see some time in right field. Brown will be the back up in right field. Wilson will be the primary back up to Hudson at the catcher position and may see some time at the DH position.
The Hawks one loss to graduation was a big one. Erik Ryan, a four-year starter at first base, graduated last spring. Ryan hit in the three spot all four years for the Hawks.
“Erik was a leader in practice and a two-year captain,” Smith said. “ On offense Erik batted .375 and got some timely hits to put us in position to win games. On defense Erik made many picks in the dirt and caught errant throws to get outs in crucial times late in games.”
With seven returning starters, Smith is optimistic for a fruitful season.
“Our offense should be productive, but it may take a few games to finalize the batting order,” Smith said. “Offensive and defensive decisions may change during the year and we will approach those decisions as the game and season goes along. Our goal is to make the playoffs, but my goal as a coach is to see the team improve each game as a team and as individuals.”
The Hawks played in a number of close games last year, and Smith said he hopes the team has learned valuable experience from those games and gained confidence in their ability to pull out victories.
“Close games like last year will give us the ability to stay calm and know that we are never out of games until the last out,” he said. “On offense we return four of the top five hitters and gain two or three new bats. We will be able to mix and match our hitters.I do not like to load the top with all the guys that can hit. I like to balance the lineup with speed and on base percentage and that could make it tougher to face our lineup.”
One of the biggest questions marks coming into the season is how the Hawks will fare at first base defensively.
“During the final practices last year Tristan started to take some balls there, but never played in a live game at first,” Smith said. “We have two freshmen that could play the position, but have no varsity experience at that position. The other option would be to take an upperclassman to play the position, but that does not help the program for the future.”
The team’s lineup will also be a work in progress.
“I have seen guys hit off the tee and the machine, but no one has faced live pitching,” he said. “I have an order in mind, but will adjust the line up as needed on a game to game basis.”
Southern Aroostook, Houlton and Central Aroostook are among the top teams the Hawks will face. New this season, the Hawks will play Limestone, Van Buren and Washburn.
Assisting Smith will be Seth Dorr and Mark Morin. Hodgdon opens its season at Shead of Eastport on Wednesday, April 17 at noon. The first home game is set for Friday at 4 p.m. also against Shead.
