Braves battling inconsistency, show offensive punch

The Husson College baseball team is dealing with its confinement inside Newman Gymnasium after the Braves posted a 5-7 record on their Florida swing.

Coach John Kolasinski’s ballclub, which features several underclassmen, was slowed by inconsistency. However, Husson appears to have the makings of another NAIA regional contender.

“It was a good trip, but it wasn’t a great trip,” Kolasinski said. “We either played very well or very poorly.”

The Braves knocked out a solid .305 team batting average, scoring 7.8 runs per game.

Junior right fielder Brian Malo of Hebron set the offensive tone in the cleanup spot. He batted a team-leading .447 with four doubles, two home runs and 16 RBIs.

Junior outfielder Jason Cyr of Millinocket (.383, 15 runs, 10 RBIs) and sophomore shortstop Don Sawyer of Brewer (.378, 15 runs) also were among the offensive leaders.

Dan Curtis has emerged in his new role as the left fielder after pitching last season. The sophomore from Cherryfield checks in with a .357 average and nine RBIs.

“Curtis didn’t have an at-bat last year, but he’s been solid in left field,” Kolasinski said. “I think he’s more relaxed now that he knows he’s going to be in the lineup every day.”

The Braves pitching staff appears to be blessed with depth. Sophomore righthander James Zukowski went 0-3, but pitched well in facing Husson’s tougher foes. Sophomore lefty Jeremy Nelson was 2-1 with a team-leading 2.65 earned run average.

Freshmen Chris Soper of Orland, Matt Lomax and Mike Perry of Veazie each had two good outings.

Kolasinski said Husson has other plans for next spring, when it will travel to southern California for a 14-game trip based out of Point Loma Nazarene in San Diego.

“We’re going to play a lot of teams in the NAIA conference out there. It will be a step better,” Kolasinski said of the competition. “I think we’re ready for it.”

Leslie Trott, a three-sport athlete at Brewer High School, will pursue her education and her basketball career playing for Kissy Walker at Husson College.

Trott, a captain for coach Lauree Gott’s Witches last season, has verbally committed to attend Husson. The 5-foot-8 guard/forward averaged 10.0 points and 2.9 steals, earning Big East honorable mention status the last two years.

“Leslie really started to come along as the basketball season progressed,” Walker said of Trott. “She is a great person with a super attitude.”

Trott also was an All-Penobscot Valley Conference first-team soccer player and played softball at Brewer, where she is an honor-roll student and a member of the student council.

Bob Jameson, the No. 3 rusher in University of Maine football history, has signed a contract to play for the Hildesheim Invaders of the German league during the spring season.

The 5-foot-9, 200-pounder, who rolled up 2,756 yards with the Black Bears from 1993-96, will become part of an offense that averaged 24.2 points in compiling a 6-5 record last season in the German Second Division.

The All-Yankee Conference selection averaged 4.5 yards per carry during his last three seasons at UMaine.

“We are very excited to have Bobby joining our club for the season,” said Hildesheim coach Javier Cook. “We expect some exciting things from him, and he should help us to continue building a winning tradition.”

Forest Carey of Kingfield and Josh Silver of Winterport helped the Middlebury College ski team win the men’s giant slalom at the NCAA Skiiing Championships held at Bozeman, Mont.

Carey, a sophomore, placed second in the giant slalom, earning All-America status for his performance. Silver wound up 18th.

The Panthers, who finished seventh overall in the competition, also took sixth in the slalom event. Silver registered a seventh-place finish, while Carey took 17th.

Central Maine Technical College in Auburn plans to put a varsity women’s basketball team on the floor next winter, according to athletic director Dave Gonyea.

Mike Bridges, who coached at Scarborough High School and later at Westbrook College, has been hired to develop the program.

“[Bridges] put together the squad at Westbrook College that went to the nationals three times,” Gonyea said. “We are very fortunate to have a person of his caliber and knowledge of resources to serve as head coach.”

The Mustangs will compete in the Northern New England Small College Conference as part of the National Small College Athletic Association. Central Maine Tech’s opponents will include Hesser College of Manchester, N.H., New Hampshire Tech at Concord, Northern Essex Community College of Haverhill, Mass., and Vermont Tech.