Husson coaches to run 2 tourneys

Husson College baseball coach John Kolasinski and assistant John Winkin will leave Wednesday to run baseball tournaments this weekend.

Kolasinski will be one of a four-member committee that will oversee the 10-team NAIA (championship) Tournament at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho, and Winkin will be the director for a four-team NCAA Division I Tournament regional at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C. Both are double-elimination events.

Following the Clemson regional, Winkin said he will be assigned to a super regional which is actually a best-of-three series between two of the 16 regional winners for the right to play in the College World Series in Omaha.

Winkin, a former University of Maine coach, has been going to regionals as a coach or director since 1975 and this will be Kolasinski’s second year as a member of the tournament committee.

“I enjoy it because you’re in the big show,” said Winkin. “There’s a great atmosphere at Clemson. Clemson and [Louisiana State University] have the best atmospheres around.”

Kolasinski said the atmosphere in Lewiston, Idaho, is equally impressive.

“You’ll have 1,000 at the 9 a.m. game and 5,000 for the 7 p.m. game,” said Kolasinski. “It’s like a mini-Omaha.”

The toughest aspect of running a tournament?

“The weather is the most difficult part,” stated Winkin. “You have to make tough decisions [on whether to play] and you’ve got to get your tournament finished within a certain period of time. Number two is lightning.”

Winkin will get to renew acquaintances with Clemson coach Jack Leggett, who helped lead Winkin’s Maine team to the 1976 College World Series.

Metcalf, Janik named co-captains

Defensemen Peter Metcalf and Doug Janik have been chosen co-captains of next year’s University of Maine hockey team with junior centers Martin Kariya and Chris Heisten being selected as alternate captains in a vote among their teammates.

Janik and recent graduate A.J. Begg co-captained this past year’s team to a 20-12-7 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.

The players also chose junior goalie Matt Yeats as the most valuable player; defenseman Francis Nault the rookie of the year; defenseman-turned-left winger Michael Schutte the most improved player; defenseman Begg the outstanding defensive player; Kariya the most inspirational player; left wing Lucas Lawson the stein award for team comedian; and Boston College right winger Brian Gionta was the most honored opponent.

Right wing Niko Dimitrakos won the three-star award for his play in home games, and the coaches selected RW Matthias Trattnig as the recipient of the coaches award, LW Kevin Clauson as the winner of the never-give-up award, and RW Gray Shaneberger as the recipient of the academic achievement award.