Same teams favored despite coaching changes

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The theme of the 2000 American Legion Baseball season in Zone 1 is coaching changes. Five of the division’s seven head coaches are in their first seasons this summer.

Gone are successful coaches such as Dave Gonyar of Brewer, Dave Paul of Orono, and Charlie Farley of Trenton after coaching for the last 10, 10, and three years, respectively. Also out are Waldo County’s Keith Pooler (two years) and Hermon’s Brent Brown (one).

In their places are Dave Morris at Brewer, Brian Harvey at Orono, Bill Hodgdon at Trenton, Emery Shute Jr. at Waldo, and Gene Crockett at Hermon.

“As soon as I spoke to Dave [Paul] and talked about coaching, I was very excited about doing it,” said Harvey, who also coaches Hampden Academy’s JV baseball team.

Harvey will be joined in the dugout by Orono varsity coach Aaron Watson, who preferred to be an assistant this summer.

“Basically we’re co-coaches, but Brian’s the head coach because I wanted to help out and assist Dave since I’d never coached Legion before,” said Watson.

Paul will act as the team’s general manager.

A similar arrangement exists in Brewer, where Morris is assisted by Hampden Academy varsity coach Marc Halsted.

“I think that it’s great for us to be able to follow coaches like Dave Gonyar and Kiah, and we’re looking forward to continuing the tradition,” Morris said.

Fellow rookie head coach Bill Hodgdon is no stranger to Legion ball, having been an assistant at Trenton the last seven years. Now he gets to call the shots, and he has Seth Cole – former Acadians infielder, leader on the 1998 state runner-up team, and star player Toby Cole’s older brother – joining him as an assistant.

“With everybody retiring, I think [four-year Bangor coach] Joe [Nelson] and I are kind of the deans in the coaching ranks here now,” Hodgdon said.

Last season, the Falcons won nine straight games to barely get into the zone tournament on a three-way tiebreaker and then won their second Zone 1 title in seven years.

Just like last year, Brewer and 1999 Zone 1 runner-up Orono shape up as favorites for the same reasons: Brewer’s hitting and Orono’s pitching.

“Our strength is at the plate, no doubt about that. We’re very strong right to the number seven batter and the guys at the bottom of the order got dangerous at the end of high school,” said Halsted.

The Falcons’ offensive leader is pitcher-first baseman Craig Harvey, who recently won Maine’s Mr. Baseball award as the state’s top senior ballplayer.

Experience is also a Brewer strength.

“Probably half our squad is back from last year and we have a lot of seniors with regional tournament experience from the last two years who played in high school playoffs, too,” Morris said.

Meanwhile, 1999 regular-season champ Orono again looks tough with what should be Zone 1’s deepest pitching staff and a solid lefty-laden lineup.

The Twins’ biggest problem may be finding enough innings for all of their pitchers.

“Yeah, it’s safe to say we have four or five really good starters,” Harvey said. “We have three good ones in Jason Robbins, Brad Wheaton, and Brian Tewhey, and we’ve got Ryan Brown and some others who should get a lot of work.”

The other top contenders are the other two teams to make the Zone 1 tourney field last year: Bangor – which returns ace pitcher Jeremy Karam and solid hitters such as Karam, Jim Shea, and Josh Johnson – and Trenton with pitcher-infielder Toby Cole and John Lewandowski, who is moving from the outfield to BANGOR COMRADES

Coach: Joe Nelson, 4th year

Last year’s record, finish: 12-9, 4th (3rd after tourney)

Top hitters: P-OF Jeremy Karam, 2B Jim Shea, 1B-2B-3B-OF-C Josh Johnson, C Shawn Bouchard, OF-P Joe Vanidestine, DH-OF Andy Sullivan, OF Andrew Tremble

Top pitchers: Karam, Barrett Dionne

Outlook: Bangor is one of the few teams unaffected by coaching changeovers and returns a strong nucleus from last season’s tournament squad. The Comrades must find a suitable replacement for defensive whiz and speedy leadoff hitter Willie Baird in center field. With six pitchers, led by Karam and Dionne, and good hitters in the 1-5 slots in the batting order, Bangor should be a solid contender.

BREWER FALCONS

Coach: Dave Morris, 1st year

Last year’s record, finish: 14-7, 3rd (won zone tourney)

Top hitters: P-1B Craig Harvey, C-3B Ricky McHale, OF Adam Freeman, OF Justin Spencer, 2B Ryan Snell, SS Jason Harvey, P-3B Joel Barrett

Top pitchers: Ryan Hatch, C. Harvey, Ryan Snell, McHale

Outlook: Led by Craig Harvey, the Falcons have the most fearsome offensive lineup in the zone. Brewer also boasts plenty of leadership and maturity with players who have gained plenty of zone, state, and high school tournament experience the last two years. With all the offensive firepower, if the pitching staff can keep games from turning into football scores and the coaching changeover is a smooth one, Brewer is a favorite to return to states.

CALAIS SUNS

Coach: Jeff O’Neill, 2nd year

Last year’s record, finish: 0-18, 7th

Top hitters: 1B-P Joe Footer, 3B-P James MacDonald, C Kevin Loughlin, SS-P Scott MacDonald, 2B Doug Adams

Top pitchers: S. MacDonald, Jeremy Dow, Tony Alvair, Chris Leavitt

Outlook: Calais is a little more experienced after taking its lumps with a very young squad last year, but still looks like it’s at least a season away from contending. According to O’Neill, they’re still young and inexperienced “at the Legion level.” Depth suffered a hit when three kids dropped off the roster, but the 15 left are all highly motivated and pitching depth isn’t a concern. O’Neill can use seen ace. Defense is weak with little veteran experience, but the Suns should certainly improve on last season.

HERMON NAVIGATORS

Coach: Gene Crockett, 1st year

Last year’s record, finish: 4-14, 6th

Top hitters: C-P-OF Billy Kane, C-OF John Blair, P-1B Buddy Leavitt, P-1B Justin Veazie, utility Kyle Wentworth, SS Shawn Henderson, 2B Scott DeRaps

Top pitchers: Kane, Leavitt, Veazie, Wentworth

Outlook: Despite not having a single Hermon player on the roster for the second straight year and playing all its home games in Dexter, it’s still Hermon, and the Navigators have some players. The key to their success is how the pitching holds up against the top hitting teams. If the staff keeps the Navigators close and they get some timely hitting, they could contend for a tourney spot.

ORONO TWINS

Coach: Brian Harvey, 1st year

Last year’s record, finish: 16-6, 1st (tourney runner-up)

Top hitters: 1B-OF Aaron Civiello, SS-2B-OF-P Josh Emerson, C Jason Folsom, 3B-P Brad Wheaton, SS Jason Sirois, OF Rob Donato, OF Morgan Stinson

Top pitchers: Jason Robbins, Wheaton, Brian Tewhey, Emerson, Al Glossian

Outlook: Having the deepest pitching staff in the zone plus a solid lineup again makes the Twins a favorite for another state tourney berth. The team’s core consists of Stearns High School players coming off a state championship season. Civiello, Emerson, and Sirois inject plenty of punch into the batting order. If the coaching turnover doesn’t complicate things, the Twins are a good bet to make their eighth straight tourney appearance.

TRENTON ACADIANS

Coach: Bill Hodgdon, 1st year

Last year’s record, finish: 12-8, 2nd (4th after tourney)

Top hitters: SS-P Toby Cole, 3B John Lewandowski, OF Pete Collier, OF Tyler Balombini-Goddard, 2B Courtney Bunker, 1B Jason Weed

Top pitchers: Cole, Joe Richards, Mike Cowperthwaite

Outlook: The Acadians have a few players back from the second-seeded team in the 1999 tourney starting with player of the year candidate Toby Cole. Trenton’s silent leader and MVP will have to be a bit more vocal as the Acadians drive for a third straight tourney appearance. An assistant coach for the last seven years, new head coach Hodgdon makes the coaching changeover an easy one.

WALDO COUNTY WILDCATS

Coach: Emery Shute Jr., 1st year

Last year’s record, finish: 11-7, 5th (after tiebreaker)

Top hitters: 1B-P Mike MacDonald, 3B Aaron Tripp, OF-P Pat Fitzpatrick, OF Ben Relyea, C Skip Smith, OF Keith Fuller

Top pitchers: MacDonald, Matt Woodrow, Pasco Grove, Fitzpatrick

Outlook: Waldo has a solid ace in UMaine-bound MacDonald, but needs another pitcher to step up as depth is a problem. Waldo only has 13 players on the squad, so health is a big factor in its success. Experience is something else the young Wildcats are short on with eight players new to Legion ball. Shute, a former Searsport coach and Waldo assistant, says the primary goal is to make the playoffs and then go from there.